Boron and Testosterone

Outline:

• Boron is a trace element that can increase total testosterone, free testosterone, and DHT; and has the potential to decrease SHBG and estrogen. 
• Rats mega dosed on boron demonstrated a 300% increase in testosterone.
• In humans, boron supplementation has been shown to increase total testosterone by 11%, free testosterone by 25-29%, and DHT by 10%.
• For healthy males, doses of 2-10mg appear to be most effective.

Background:

There is growing evidence to support the importance of vitamins and minerals, particularly in the generation of testosterone. One of these minerals, boron, shows significant potential, despite being considered a “trace” element. Trace elements are not required to be consumed every day like “essential micronutrients” (e.g. vitamin A and zinc). Regardless, boron can enhance micronutrient absorption, bone strength, and cognitive performance.^[1]

But who cares about that? What about test? Well, boron has some of the strongest testmaxing potential of any micronutrient out there. Various studies have demonstrated its ability to increase total testosterone, free testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT).


Rat Studies:

One of the earliest studies in this field was conducted by the US National Institute of Environmental Health Services in 1978. While this study set out to investigate the adverse effects of boron exposure, the researchers ended up discovering that rats given a daily dose of 12.5mg of boron experienced a 10% increase in total testosterone after 30 days and a 130% increase after 60 days.^[2]

A following study in 1996 found that rats given a 2mg dose of boron for three weeks had more than twice as much circulating testosterone than those in the control condition.^[3] After six weeks, the boron supplemented rats had almost three times the level of testosterone than their boron-free buddies. 

It should be noted that the 2-12.5mg doses given to the rats would be equivalent to well above the 20mg/day upper limit in humans. Nevertheless, these findings subsequently ignited an interest in human studies…


Human Studies:

Serbian researchers in 2002 claimed that daily 6mg doses of boron in the form of calcium fructoborate increased free testosterone by 29% in 13 healthy males.^[6]

More recently, a Romanian study from 2020 found that eight male volleyball players given 2mg of boron daily for four weeks had a 25% increase in their circulating levels of free testosterone immediately after weight training, unlike their eight boron-free teammates.^[7] On top of this, the boron-treated players had performed significantly better in tests of their leg, back, and arm strength. 

Mechanisms:

Boron’s theorised mechanisms for increasing test are as follows…^[8]

• Ability to improve calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D absorption/metabolism. 
• Capacity to increase the conversion rate of androstenedione into testosterone.
• Reduction of sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and inflammatory biomarkers.
• Protection against heavy metal toxicity and pesticide-induced oxidative stress.  

 

Estrogen:

But what about estrogen? The data here is a little less consistent. The previously mentioned 1997 study from Australian researchers demonstrated a 20% increase in estradiol over a four-week period.^[9] 

However, when these researchers investigated boron supplementation again in 2011, they found that there was a significant decrease in estradiol (39%) after seven days of supplementation.^[10]

Well, what’s the deal? Further studies are definitely required, but there are two main theories for what is causing these conflicting results.

1. Estrogen is a metabolite of testosterone, meaning that testosterone converts into estrogen. Therefore, increases in testosterone cause subsequent increases in estrogen. This process is generally a net positive, granted an improved testosterone to estrogen ratio has been achieved. 
2. Boron metabolises into a substance called boric acid in the gastrointestinal tract. Boric acid binds to vitamin B2 and ultimately increases its rate of excretion.^[11] Therefore, boron supplementation may be causing reductions in circulating vitamin B2 which is notable because B2 has an inverse relationship with estrogen, meaning we want to keep it high to keep estrogen low.^[12]
   

 

Dosage:

How much should you be consuming? Well, the dosages in the studies range from 2-10mg, so somewhere in that range is a safe bet. Let's say we want to consume 6mg of boron daily, what does that look like? Avocados are the food with the highest quantity of boron per serving, but they only have 1mg in each.

So, unless you’re eating six avocados per day, you’re probably not consuming the optimal amount of boron. Supplementation is safe, relatively cheap, and realistically the only way you are going to consume upwards of 6mg daily. I guess it really is a “trace” element…


Summary:

Boron is a mineral that can help you to increase total testosterone, free testosterone, and DHT. It has been shown to reduce SHBG, inflammatory biomarkers, and oxidative stress. Also, there is evidence to suggest that taking it alongside vitamin B2 can help to maintain an optimal testosterone/estrogen ratio. Thus, a supplement stack combining the benefits of both boron and vitamin B2 would be ideal for increasing your testosterone (*hint, hint* Andregen Day + Night).