Free testosterone is what does the work when we are looking to build mass, so it makes sense that we would want to have as much free-testosterone available in our bodies. Unfortunately most of our testosterone is bound up by albumin and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). The level of albumin is pretty much fixed within our bodies with very little fluctuation in its levels so there is not much we can do about that. However, SHBG can vary widely so as the SHBG goes up, the percentage of free testosterone decreases and vice versa, as SHBG goes down, the percentage of free testosterone goes up. So the bottom line here is that SHBG can vary widely within our body and it has tremendous control over our free testosterone and we should do whatever we can to lower it to help maximize our gains. (Maybe I should have put this in my Maximizing Your Gains Series.)

When we are on cycle there are many steroids that help to lower SHBG. Proviron, winnie and Tbol are the ones that popped into my mind right away. But what can we do when we are off cycle to help keep our SHBG as low as possible and the gains coming? Here are some natural routes that you can employ to achieve this that won't shut you down.

Natural routes to lowering SHBG:

1. Fish oil. Get in your omega's. Besides the other wealth of benefits it provides, fish oil has been shown to increase LH and decrease SHBG. Shoot for a minimum of 6g/day.

2. Magnesium. Increases free test and lowers SHBG. Should be getting in 1g/d.

3. Zinc. Shown to decrease SHBG. Should be getting 40mg/d in your diet.

4. Lower fiber diet. Higher fiber diets can lead to a reduction in test levels and an increase in SHBG.

5. Vitamin D. The bare minimum is 3500IU's. I would at least double that.

6. Boron. You should be getting at least 10mg/d.

7. Higher carb diet. You need to be eating plenty of carbs. Higher carb intake has been shown to increase T levels and lower SHBG, cortisol and estro.

8. DHEA. You should be getting at least 50mg/d

9. Many prescription drugs increase SHBG. The most common ones are sedatives, antihypertensiaves, tranquilizers. So know what you are taking and be aware that they may be increasing your SHBG levels.

10. Stay away from alcohol. Alcohol consumption increases SHBG.

11. Tongkat Ali. 250mg taken 3x/daily

12. Avena Sativa. 1g/d split up into 3 doses.

REF:
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Bio Trace Elem Res. 2011 Apr;140(1):18-23. doi: 10.1007/s12011-010-8676-3. Epub 2010 Mar 30. Effects of magnesium supplementation on testosterone levels of athletes and sedentary subjects at rest and after exhaustion. Cinar V1, Polat Y, Baltaci AK, Mogulkoc R.

Structure/function analyses of human sex hormone-binding globulin: effects of zinc on steroid-binding specificity. Geoffrey L Hammonda, George V Avvakumova, Yves A Mullerb

Am J Clin Nutr. 1996 Dec;64(6):850-5. Effects of dietary fat and fiber on plasma and urine androgens and estrogens in men: a controlled feeding study. Dorgan JF1, Judd JT, Longcope C, Brown C, Schatzkin A, Clevidence BA, Campbell WS, Nair PP, Franz C, Kahle L, Taylor PR.

Horm Metab Res. 2011 Mar;43(3):223-5. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1269854. Epub 2010 Dec 10. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men. Pilz S1, Frisch S, Koertke H, Kuhn J, Dreier J, Obermayer-Pietsch B, Wehr E, Zittermann A.

J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2011 Jan;25(1):54-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2010.10.001. Epub 2010 Dec 3. Comparative effects of daily and weekly boron supplementation on plasma steroid hormones and proinflammatory cytokines. Naghii MR1, Mofid M, Asgari AR, Hedayati M, Daneshpour MS.

Diet-hormone interactions: Protein/carbohydrate ratio alters reciprocally the plasma levels of testosterone and cortisol and their respective binding globulins in man. Karl E. Anderson, M.D., William Rosner, M.D., M.S. Khan, Ph.D., Maria I. New, M.D., Songya Pang, M.D., Paul S. Wissel, M.D., Attallah Kappas, M.D.

Eur J Appl Physiol, 2013 Jul, 113(7):1783-92, "Effect of acute DHEA administration on free testosterone in middle-aged and young men following high-intensity interval training.

Br J Sports Med, 2003, 37(5), "THE ERGOGENIC EFFECTS OF EURYCOMA LONGIFOLIA JACK: A PILOT STUDY"

Schmidt K, Geckeler K. Pharmacotherapy with avena sativa – a double blind study. Int J Clin Pharmacol Biopharm. 1976 Oct;14(3):214-6.