What do 3 weeks of beer do to testosterone?
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Does beer with dinner lower testosterone?
In one Dutch diet-controlled crossover study (TNO, Zeist), 10 men and 9 women ate fully supplied meals for 6 weeks: 3 weeks with beer at dinner, 3 weeks with alcohol-free beer, and 1 alcohol-free week before each period.
In the beer weeks the men had 40 g of alcohol a day (about 2.9 US standard drinks of 14 g: 40 ÷ 14 = 2.9). Their morning testosterone was 6.8% lower after those weeks, with a likely range of 1.0% to 12.5%. The women had 30 g a day, and theirs didn't change.
Sources
Sierksma A, Sarkola T, Eriksson CJP, van der Gaag MS, Grobbee DE, Hendriks HFJ. Effect of moderate alcohol consumption on plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, and estradiol levels in middle-aged men and postmenopausal women: a diet-controlled intervention study. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2004;28(5):780-785. doi:10.1097/01.alc.0000125356.70824.81
What the study says
- “In a randomized, diet-controlled, crossover study, 10 middle-aged men and 9 postmenopausal women, all apparently healthy, nonsmoking, and moderate alcohol drinkers, consumed beer or no-alcohol beer with dinner during two successive periods of 3 weeks.”
- “During the beer period, alcohol intake equaled 40 and 30 g per day for men and women, respectively.”
- “The total diet was supplied and had essentially the same composition during these 6 weeks.”
- “Before each treatment there was a 1 week washout period, in which the subjects were not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages.”
- “Plasma testosterone level decreased in men by 6.8% (95% confidence interval, -1.0- -12.5), but no effect was found in women.”
Where it falls short
One small study over 3 weeks: a measured dip, not a diagnosis.
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