Wondering how to increase testosterone naturally? Lose excess belly fat, lift weights two or three times a week, sleep 7 to 9 hours, eat enough protein, zinc and healthy fats, get your vitamin D checked, manage stress, and cut alcohol, smoking and gutkha. These changes have real evidence behind them. Steroids and "booster" pills do not.
If you have been feeling tired, flat or less interested in sex, and you suspect your testosterone is low, you are not alone. Low testosterone is common, and in many men it improves once the real cause is found and fixed.
This guide covers why testosterone drops, the 7 changes that work (in order of impact), the Indian veg and non-veg foods that help, what to avoid, an honest look at ashwagandha and shilajit, and how to read your blood test.
What is testosterone, and can you really raise it naturally?
Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, and yes, most men can raise it naturally by removing what is pulling it down: extra body fat, short sleep, no exercise, a poor diet, stress, alcohol and tobacco. No single pill, food or herb does the job on its own.
Testosterone drives your sex drive, supports erections, and keeps up your energy, mood, muscle and bone strength. Levels peak in your late teens and twenties and then drift down slowly. Here are the 7 ways, in the order that usually makes the biggest difference:
- Lose excess weight, especially belly fat
- Do strength training plus cardio
- Sleep 7 to 9 hours a night
- Eat enough protein, zinc, magnesium and healthy fats
- Get enough vitamin D
- Manage stress
- Cut alcohol, smoking and gutkha
If you are here because you think your levels may already be low, first go through the full list of low testosterone symptoms. Then come back to the steps below, because the right fix depends on the cause.
Why does testosterone drop? The root causes
Testosterone usually drops because of something you can find and fix: excess belly fat, poor sleep, chronic stress, alcohol, smoking or gutkha, diabetes, thyroid problems or certain medicines, on top of a slow, natural fall with age.
At Raaz, this is the part we care about most. Two men with the same low number can have completely different reasons behind it, and they need different fixes. Handing both the same booster pill helps neither.
Age: a slow fall of about 1% a year
After early adulthood, testosterone falls by about 1% each year, according to Harvard Health. That is gradual. A man of 45 with a sudden drop in energy and libido usually has another cause stacked on top of age, such as weight gain, poor sleep or a new health problem.
Age also changes erections and desire in other ways. If that is your worry, read about how erection problems change with age and why sex drive can drop as you age. The good news for men over 40 is that the 7 steps below work at any age.
Weight, sleep, stress and habits
Belly fat is the biggest everyday culprit. Fat tissue turns some of your testosterone into oestrogen, and extra weight disturbs the brain signals that tell the testes to make more. Short sleep, night shifts, long-term stress, heavy drinking, smoking and chewing tobacco all add to the problem.
Why Indian men need to watch their waist
Many Indian men carry more fat around the belly at a lower body weight than men in the West, so you can look "normal" on the scale and still have the kind of fat that lowers testosterone. Type 2 diabetes is also very common in India, often from the thirties onwards, and it is closely linked with low testosterone. Add long desk hours, late dinners heavy on rice, roti and sweets, and little morning sunlight, and it is easy to see why so many men here feel the effects early.
Medical conditions and medicines
Type 2 diabetes, thyroid problems, sleep apnoea (loud snoring with pauses in breathing), liver and kidney disease, and some medicines can lower testosterone. The common medicines are opioid painkillers and long courses of steroid tablets. Anabolic steroids taken at the gym are another big one. Do not stop any prescribed medicine on your own; ask your doctor whether it could be playing a part.
Not sure what is lowering your testosterone? The free Men's Test takes about 2 minutes, is completely private, and helps a doctor find your root cause, so you work on the right fix from day one.
What are the 7 natural ways to increase testosterone?
In order of impact for most men: lose excess weight, lift weights and do cardio, fix your sleep, eat enough protein and zinc, get vitamin D, manage stress, and cut alcohol and tobacco. Give the changes a few months of steady effort; this is a slow build, not an overnight switch.
1. Lose excess weight, especially belly fat
This is the change with the strongest effect. Harvard Health notes that losing weight through a balanced diet and regular exercise can raise testosterone by up to 30%, according to some research. Even a modest loss of a few kilos helps.
A simple check: if your waist is over 90 cm (about 35.5 inches), your belly fat is worth working on. Aim for slow, steady loss of about half a kilo a week. Avoid crash diets and long fasts, because eating far too little can lower testosterone too.
2. Do strength training plus cardio
Both weight training and cardio, such as running or swimming, can increase testosterone. You do not need a bodybuilder's routine: two or three sessions of 30 to 40 minutes a week is enough to start. Squats, push-ups, planks, lunges and rows work large muscles, and you can do most of them at home.
Add cardio such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming or badminton on the other days. Short bursts of hard effort with rest in between (HIIT, high-intensity interval training) are time-efficient if you are busy. Rest days matter: overtraining without enough sleep or food can push testosterone down.
3. Sleep 7 to 9 hours
Most of your daily testosterone is released while you sleep, so short nights hit it directly. In a small 2011 study published in the journal JAMA, just one week of sleeping about 5 hours a night lowered daytime testosterone by 10 to 15% in young, healthy men. That is more than several years of normal ageing.
Keep a fixed bedtime, stop screens 30 minutes before bed, and keep the room dark and cool. If you snore loudly, wake up gasping or feel sleepy all day despite enough hours in bed, ask a doctor about sleep apnoea. Treating it can help both your energy and your hormones.
4. Eat enough protein, zinc, magnesium and healthy fats
Your body needs raw materials to make hormones. Protein helps you keep muscle while you lose fat. Zinc and magnesium are needed for testosterone production. Your body makes testosterone from cholesterol, so healthy fats (from nuts, seeds, fish and a little ghee or oil) matter, and very low-fat diets are not a good idea.
Cut down on sugar, maida, fried snacks, sweets and sugary drinks. They drive weight gain and insulin resistance, which both lower testosterone. Drink enough water through the day too; it will not raise testosterone by itself, but it supports everything else on this list. The Indian food table further down shows exactly what to eat.
5. Get enough vitamin D
Low vitamin D is very common in India, even with all our sunshine, because many of us work indoors and cover up outdoors. Studies link low vitamin D with lower testosterone, although supplements only seem to help men who are actually deficient. Spend 15 to 20 minutes in morning sunlight with your arms uncovered when you can, and ask for a vitamin D test before you start a supplement. Your doctor can tell you whether you need one.
6. Manage stress
Chronic stress raises cortisol, the stress hormone, which interferes with testosterone production. It also wrecks sleep and makes you reach for junk food or a drink. Try 10 minutes a day of yoga, meditation or slow breathing (breathe in for 4 counts, out for 6). A daily walk, time with friends and fixed work hours help more than most men expect.
7. Cut alcohol, smoking and gutkha
Heavy drinking lowers testosterone, and Harvard Health suggests keeping to no more than one drink a day. Over time, regular heavy drinking can also make erections harder to get and keep. Smoking, gutkha and khaini damage blood vessels and add to hormone problems. Read more on how smoking affects hormones and erections, and what improves after you quit.
Quitting tobacco is hard, and most people need more than one attempt. The national tobacco quitline (1800-11-2356) offers free support, and a doctor can prescribe medicines that make quitting easier.
Which Indian foods help increase testosterone?
No single food raises testosterone by itself. But everyday Indian foods rich in protein, zinc, magnesium and healthy fats, such as eggs, fish, dal, rajma, paneer, curd, nuts and seeds, palak and methi, support healthy levels when they are part of your regular diet.
| Food | Key nutrients | Veg or non-veg |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs (with the yolk) | Protein, vitamin D, healthy fats | Non-veg |
| Fish: bangda (mackerel), mathi (sardines), rohu | Protein, omega-3 fats, vitamin D, zinc | Non-veg |
| Chicken | Lean protein, zinc | Non-veg |
| Dal, rajma and chana | Protein, zinc, magnesium, fibre | Veg |
| Soybean and tofu | Protein, magnesium | Veg |
| Paneer, curd and milk | Protein, calcium; some milk is fortified with vitamin D | Veg |
| Pumpkin seeds | Zinc, magnesium, healthy fats | Veg |
| Peanuts, almonds and walnuts | Healthy fats, magnesium, zinc | Veg |
| Flaxseed (alsi) | Omega-3 fats, fibre | Veg |
| Palak and methi | Magnesium, iron, folate | Veg |
| Millets: ragi, bajra, jowar | Magnesium, fibre; steadier blood sugar than maida | Veg |
Vegetarian options
Vegetarians can get everything they need. Build each meal around a protein (dal, chana, rajma, paneer, curd or soya), add a green sabzi, and swap some white rice or maida for millets. A small handful of pumpkin seeds, peanuts or almonds as a snack covers much of your zinc and magnesium. A teaspoon of roasted alsi in your roti dough or curd adds omega-3 fats.
Non-vegetarian options
Eggs are one of the best-value foods for testosterone: eat the whole egg, since the yolk holds the vitamin D and fats. Oily fish such as bangda and mathi two or three times a week give you omega-3 fats as well as protein. Choose grilled, curried or tandoori chicken and fish over deep-fried versions, and keep red and processed meat occasional.
Many of the same foods also protect your blood vessels, which matters for sexual health. See these foods that also help with erection problems if that is a worry for you too.
Myths worth dropping
- "Raw eggs, or milk with dry fruits at night, boost testosterone." Cooked eggs give the same nutrition without the risk of salmonella infection. Milk and dry fruits are good foods, but they have no special hormone effect.
- "Masturbation or nightfall drains your testosterone." It does not. Testosterone rises and falls through the day, and any changes around sex or ejaculation are small and short-lived. If you are curious, read does sex increase testosterone?
- "Soya destroys male hormones." Normal amounts of soya, as part of an Indian diet, have not been shown to lower testosterone in men.
What should you never do to raise testosterone?
Do not take anabolic steroids, do not start testosterone injections without a doctor, and do not spend money on "booster" supplements. They carry real risks, and most boosters have no good evidence behind their claims.
Anabolic steroids: the most dangerous shortcut
Anabolic steroids are man-made versions of testosterone, often sold in gyms to build muscle fast. Taken without a prescription, they can damage the liver and heart, raise blood pressure, cause mood swings and lead to breast tissue growth in men. They also switch off your body's own testosterone production, so many men end up with lower levels, smaller testes and poor sperm counts after they stop.
Testosterone injections: a medical treatment, not a gym supplement
Testosterone therapy is a proper treatment when a doctor confirms low levels with blood tests and monitors you. Most men who simply want more energy or muscle do not need it. Taken without supervision, it can reduce fertility, shrink the testicles, thicken the blood (which raises the risk of clots) and stop your own production. It is also not suitable for men trying to have a child, because it lowers sperm production.
Booster supplements: claims without evidence
A 2019 study of 50 testosterone booster supplements found that 90% claimed to raise testosterone, but only 24.8% of their ingredients had any data showing a rise. About 10% of the ingredients had data suggesting they could lower it, and some products packed zinc, niacin or magnesium above safe upper limits.
Creatine shows how claims get mixed up. It is a well-studied sports supplement for strength training, but it is not a testosterone treatment, and you should not take it for that reason. If you are spending money every month on boosters, that money is usually better spent on a doctor's visit and a blood test.
Do ashwagandha, shilajit and other ayurvedic boosters work?
A few small studies show a modest rise with standardised ashwagandha or purified shilajit, but the evidence is thin. Unregulated products can contain heavy metals, and ashwagandha has rarely caused liver injury. Ask a doctor before taking any of them.
What the research actually shows
Ashwagandha: in a small 2019 trial of 57 overweight men aged 40 to 70, published in the American Journal of Men's Health, a standardised extract taken for 8 weeks led to a modestly greater rise in testosterone (measured in saliva) than a placebo. But the men felt no more energetic and reported no better sexual well-being than the placebo group.
Shilajit: one 90-day Indian trial in healthy men aged 45 to 55, published in Andrologia in 2016, found that purified shilajit raised testosterone more than a placebo. No large, independent trials have confirmed either result.
Safed musli, kaunch beej and gokshura are sold widely as "male power" herbs, but good-quality human studies showing they raise testosterone in healthy men are lacking.
The heavy-metal and liver risk
The bigger worry is what is actually inside the pack. When researchers bought 193 Ayurvedic medicines online and tested them, about 1 in 5 (20.7%) contained lead, mercury or arsenic (JAMA, 2008). These metals mainly harm the kidneys, nerves and blood over time.
Ashwagandha's liver risk is a separate issue, and it is rare. It can happen even with a pure product that has no contamination.
What Indian doctors are warning about
Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, a hepatologist (liver specialist) at Rajagiri Hospital in Aluva, Kerala, led a 2023 case series on liver injury linked to ashwagandha. His team found 8 patients between 2019 and 2022 who had taken single-ingredient ashwagandha with no other likely cause, and testing found no harmful contaminants in the products. Three of the 8 died, and all three already had chronic liver disease before they took the herb.
None of this means every herb is dangerous. It means "natural" does not automatically mean safe, and anyone with liver disease, on regular medicines, or planning to take a herb for months should speak to a doctor first.
Homeopathy and "desi" booster powders
There is no reliable evidence that homeopathic medicines raise testosterone. Be especially careful with unlabelled powders and "special" capsules from roadside clinics or neem-hakeem advertisements. Products sold this way can contain hidden steroids or prescription drugs, which is often why they seem to "work" at first, and why they can be risky.
When should you see a doctor?
See a doctor if signs like low sex drive, constant tiredness or weaker erections last more than a few weeks, if a blood test shows a low or borderline result, or before you start any supplement, injection or ayurvedic product. Only a morning blood test can confirm low testosterone.
Signs worth noticing
- Less interest in sex than before
- Weaker erections, or fewer morning erections
- Tiredness that does not lift with rest
- Low mood, irritability or poor focus
- Losing muscle or gaining belly fat without a change in routine
This is a short list, and many of these signs have other causes too, so check before you treat anything. The symptoms guide linked at the top of this page covers every sign in detail.
The blood test: timing, units and the 300 ng/dL cut-off
Testosterone is highest in the morning, so the test should be done early, usually before 10 am. It is a routine test at most diagnostic labs in India; ask for "total testosterone". The American Urological Association uses a total testosterone below 300 ng/dL as a reasonable cut-off, and says the diagnosis should only be made after two early-morning tests on separate days, together with symptoms.
Indian labs report in two different units. To convert, multiply nmol/L by 28.84 to get ng/dL. So 9.5 nmol/L is about 274 ng/dL, and 10.4 nmol/L is about 300 ng/dL. Normal ranges also differ slightly from lab to lab, so always read the range printed on your own report and show it to a doctor.
Go sooner in these situations
- You are under 40 and have low libido or erection problems along with tiredness
- You have diabetes, thyroid problems, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea
- You are trying to have a child and it is taking longer than expected
- You have taken steroids or testosterone from a gym, even in the past
- Your breasts feel tender or swollen, or your testicles seem smaller
What treatment looks like
A doctor will usually repeat the blood test, check related hormones and look for the cause, such as weight, diabetes, thyroid or a medicine. Often, treating that cause and following the steps above is enough. If levels stay truly low, testosterone therapy is an option, but only on a doctor's prescription and with regular blood tests. It is not a quick fix for tiredness.
Could low testosterone be behind your symptoms? Take the free, private Men's Test to check in about 2 minutes, and a Raaz doctor can help you work out what to do next.
The bottom line
Raising testosterone naturally is less about a secret remedy and more about fixing the everyday things that pull it down. Start with your weight, sleep and a few weekly workouts, eat well, and stay away from steroids and unproven boosters. If your symptoms do not improve, find the root cause with a doctor rather than guessing.
Raaz MD has supported men through 50,000+ doctor consultations, and "97% users saw results". Since "1 in 4 men struggle with ED and PE", you are far from alone. When you are ready, the free Men's Test takes about 2 minutes, is completely private, and is the first step to a plan built around your root cause.
Frequently asked questions
How can I raise my testosterone fast?
There is no safe overnight fix. The quickest natural gains usually come from fixing sleep and losing excess belly fat. In one study, a single week of about 5-hour nights cut daytime testosterone by 10 to 15% in young men, so protecting your sleep is an early win. Most men need a few months of steady changes to feel a real difference. Any product promising results in days is a red flag.
What foods increase testosterone?
No single food raises testosterone by itself, but a diet with enough protein, zinc, magnesium, healthy fats and vitamin D supports it. Good Indian options include eggs, fish, chicken, dal, rajma, chana, paneer, curd, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and leafy greens like palak and methi. Vegetarians can meet their needs well with dal, dairy, soya, nuts and seeds.
Does going to the gym increase testosterone?
Yes, regular exercise helps, especially weight training done two or three times a week, along with some cardio. The biggest gain often comes indirectly, because exercise helps you lose belly fat and sleep better. More is not always better, though: overtraining without enough food, rest and sleep can lower testosterone. And steroids or "cycles" offered at gyms switch off your own production.
Do ashwagandha and shilajit increase testosterone?
A few small studies found a modest rise with standardised ashwagandha and purified shilajit, but the trials were small and short, and the men in the ashwagandha trial felt no better than those on a placebo. Unregulated products are the bigger worry: about 1 in 5 Ayurvedic medicines bought online in one study contained lead, mercury or arsenic, and ashwagandha has been linked to rare liver injury. Speak to a doctor first.
Is 9.5 testosterone low?
It depends on the unit on your report. 9.5 nmol/L is about 274 ng/dL, which is below the 300 ng/dL cut-off the American Urological Association uses for low testosterone. One reading is not a diagnosis, though: doctors confirm it with two early-morning tests plus symptoms. If your report says 9.5 ng/mL instead, that is about 950 ng/dL and normal. Show the report to a doctor before starting anything.
Is testosterone injection safe?
Testosterone injections are a proper medical treatment when a doctor prescribes them after confirming low levels and monitors you with regular blood tests. Taken without supervision, as often happens through gyms, they can reduce fertility, shrink the testicles, thicken the blood and switch off your body's own production. They are not suitable if you are trying for a child. Never start them on your own.
