Do cigars increase testosterone?
What Effect do Cigars and Nicotine Have on Testosterone?
Cigars have a certain connotation to them. It’s hard to think of cigars and not think of a burly man perhaps exposing a little too much chest hair. I’ll admit, having a cigar as a celebration is nice. Balance is important in life. However, the deleterious effects of smoking are well documented, and impossible to refute. Smoking anything is not good for you. But what effect do cigars and nicotine really have on male sex hormones?
Do Cigars Increase Testosterone
We’ll start with the most obvious question. Do cigars increase testosterone? The answer, most likely, is yes. But not just cigars, any nicotine, likely has some positive effect on free testosterone levels. There are many other studies that correlate high free testosterone levels with dose-dependent smoking, even controlling for age.
How Cigars Increase Testosterone
Cigars, like cigarettes, contain nicotine. Nicotine enters the bloodstream through the lungs and through the mucosal membranes of the mouth.
From the above paper:
“Smoking would also be expected to increase testosterone because nicotine and/or its metabolites share a disposal pathway with androgens, and so could competitively inhibit androgen disposal (Schooling, 2015)”
The Benefits of Increased Testosterone
Testosterone, for men, is nearly a miracle hormone. Test is responsible for muscle growth, plays roles in motivation, fat distribution and libido. Many men later in life will experience lowered levels of free testosterone (hypogonadism) and may lose the benefits listed before. Lowered libido, lower quality of life, slower muscle growth. Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) can be used to bring many of these quality of life improvements back.
Are There Any Risks Associated with Cigar Smoking?
From the CDC:
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
- Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths.
- Smoking causes more deaths each year than the following causes combined
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Illegal drug use
- Alcohol use
- Motor vehicle injuries
- Firearm-related incidents
Please, for the love of God, do not smoke cigars to increase your testosterone levels. The harmful effects of smoking far outweigh the positive effects of an increase in testosterone. If you are concerned about your testosterone levels, a solid diet, not drinking alcohol, and lifting heavy weights will do more for your testosterone levels than lighting up a stogie. Go to your doctor, get some blood panels, and talk with them about what you can do to fix it. Smoking is not the way to go.
