Men’s Testosterone Has Fallen 54%: 7 Reasons Why
Men’s testosterone has more than halved since the 1970s. Here’s what may be driving the decline.
What you'll learn:
- Why men’s testosterone may have fallen 54% since the 1970s
- The seven modern suspects, from bigger waistlines to broken sleep and underfuelling
- What you can do to support healthy testosterone levels
Take two men of the same age. One is living in 1972, the other in 2019. According to a striking new analysis, the second man could have substantially less testosterone than the first.
Researchers estimate that men’s average total testosterone levels fell by 54% between those years. The analysis combined six major studies and data from almost 119,000 men across five countries, with every study showing a downward trend. The fall also appeared to accelerate after 2000.
That is not the gradual decline that happens as an individual gets older. It suggests men today may have lower testosterone than men of the same age in previous generations. It is an extraordinary finding, but what is driving it? And, more importantly, what can you do about it?
The encouraging news is that many of the factors connected with healthy hormone function are within your control. We cover the practical steps in our complete guide to increasing testosterone naturally. First, let’s look at what may have changed.
First, how certain is that 54% figure?
The key findings at a glance
54%
Estimated decline
1972–2019
Period studied
118,593
Men included
6 studies
Across five countries
Important: This is a population-level estimate, not proof that every man’s testosterone has fallen by 54%. The analysis was presented at a scientific conference and has not yet been published as a complete peer-reviewed paper.
The new analysis was presented at the 2026 annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. It brought together six longitudinal studies covering people in the US, Israel, Brazil, Finland and Denmark between 1972 and 2019.
The size and consistency of the trend make it difficult to dismiss, and it supports a 2025 systematic review showing that testosterone has fallen across generations, even after accounting for age and body mass index. However, the precise 54% figure comes from a conference presentation and the complete study has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
So we should not treat 54% as the final word. We can, however, take the wider decline seriously. Researchers believe it is unlikely to have one neat explanation, with our changing health, habits and environment all potentially contributing.
Here are seven of the leading suspects.
Sleep is one of the most powerful levers you can pull to raise your testosterone
1. Bigger waistlines and poorer metabolic health
Obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes have all become more common over the period covered by the research, and all are strongly associated with lower testosterone in men.
This relationship can become a vicious cycle. Greater levels of body fat can disrupt normal hormone signalling and increase the conversion of testosterone into oestrogen. Lower testosterone may then make it harder to maintain muscle and a healthy body composition, potentially reinforcing the problem.
This does not mean every man carrying extra weight has low testosterone, nor that becoming extremely lean is the solution. But improving metabolic health can remove one of the biggest modifiable pressures on normal hormone function. Our guide to losing belly fat naturally explains how to approach it without crash diets or punishment workouts.
2. We move less, even when we exercise
A run before work does not completely cancel ten hours spent sitting down. Modern life has removed a huge amount of ordinary movement through desk work, cars, screens and increasingly automated daily routines.
Regular exercise, particularly resistance training, is associated with better metabolic health, stronger muscles and healthier body composition. It also becomes increasingly important if you want to prevent age-related muscle loss.
The issue is not that every inactive day immediately lowers your hormones, but that years of reduced movement can contribute to the wider health problems associated with lower levels. Keep the run, ride or gym session, but look beyond workouts too. Walking and regularly breaking up long periods of sitting all count.
It's not just exercise we need, but regular movement
3. Sleep has become shorter and more disrupted
Testosterone production follows a daily rhythm and is closely tied to sleep. Consistently sleeping too little can interfere with that rhythm, while obstructive sleep apnoea is frequently associated with reduced testosterone in men.
This matters because sleep apnoea often goes undiagnosed. Loud snoring, repeatedly waking during the night, morning headaches and persistent daytime exhaustion are not simply signs of “getting older”. They are worth discussing with a medical professional. There is no supplement capable of compensating for five hours of broken sleep, so addressing possible sleep disorders matters more than complicated hormone hacks. For a practical way to start the day, try our morning routine for testosterone and recovery.
4. Alcohol is doing us no favours
Heavy and prolonged alcohol consumption can disrupt the systems responsible for testosterone production. It also tends to arrive with several accomplices: poorer sleep, worse food choices, reduced training quality and easier weight gain.
The occasional drink is not going to destroy your testosterone overnight, so there is no need for hormonal panic after a pint. The more useful question is whether alcohol has quietly become a nightly habit, your default recovery drink or the reason Saturday’s training never quite happens. Reducing frequency and quantity can improve sleep, energy intake and recovery at the same time.
With the incredible - and ever-growing - range of alcohol-free beers, there's plenty of alternatives to choose
5. Our diets changed faster than our biology
Modern diets are another possible contributor, containing more ultra-processed food and making it remarkably easy to consume plenty of calories without providing much nutritional value. Diets low in whole foods can leave less room for the protein, healthy fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals involved in energy metabolism, recovery and normal hormone function. If the definition has become hopelessly blurred, start with our guide to what ultra-processed food actually is.
That does not mean one “testosterone food” can reverse a population-wide trend. It means your body needs enough energy and a broad range of nutrients to perform all its jobs properly. Build most meals around recognisable ingredients: vegetables, fruit, beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, whole grains, quality protein sources and sufficient healthy fats. It is not a biohack. That is precisely why it works.
6. Some of the fittest men are not eating enough
Low testosterone is not limited to sedentary or overweight men. Endurance athletes can also experience suppressed testosterone when their energy intake repeatedly fails to cover the demands of training and everyday life.
Just because your fit doesn't mean your testosterone levels are heathy (quite often, it's the opposite)
This is part of relative energy deficiency in sport, or RED-S. Research in male endurance athletes has linked low energy availability with reduced testosterone, poorer bone health and disrupted recovery, with more recent research also finding associations with adverse health and performance outcomes. Warning signs can include falling performance, persistent fatigue, frequent illness or injury, low libido, mood changes and an inability to recover between sessions. More training is not always the answer. Sometimes the bravest performance decision is to eat more, reduce the load and let your body catch up.
7. Our environment may be affecting our hormones
Researchers are also investigating endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in some plastics, pesticides, personal-care products and industrial pollutants. These substances can interfere with hormone systems, although determining their exact contribution to falling testosterone across entire populations is extremely difficult.
Air pollution, increasing heat exposure and other environmental changes are also being studied. At present, it would be misleading to blame one chemical, one plastic bottle or one household product for the 54% decline. Reasonable precautions include avoiding heating food in unsuitable plastics, choosing glass or stainless steel where practical and washing fruit and vegetables, without letting the pursuit of a completely “toxin-free” life become another source of stress.
Microplastics, pesticides and pollutants all impact the endocrine system
What can you do about falling testosterone?
You cannot personally reverse a 50-year population trend, but you can improve the environment in which your own body operates. Maintain a healthy body composition, move throughout the day, include resistance work, sleep properly, moderate alcohol and eat enough real food to support your training.
Active people should be particularly careful not to confuse being lighter with being healthier. Training hard while chronically underfuelled can work for a while, right up until it does not. For a complete action plan, read our guide to supporting healthy testosterone through training, nutrition and lifestyle.
It is equally important not to diagnose yourself from tiredness, poor motivation or one disappointing workout. Clinically low testosterone requires symptoms alongside consistently low blood-test results. If you are concerned, speak to your GP rather than reaching straight for an online “test booster” or unsupervised testosterone treatment.
There's a lot you can do to naturally raise testosterone levels - strength training is just one of them
Frequently asked questions
Are men’s testosterone levels really falling?
Several studies suggest that men’s testosterone has declined across generations, independently of normal ageing. The new 54% estimate strengthens that case, although the complete analysis has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Does this mean my testosterone is 54% lower?
No. The figure is an estimated population-level change drawn from studies conducted across different countries and decades. It cannot tell you how an individual’s testosterone has changed.
Is falling testosterone just a normal part of ageing?
Testosterone commonly declines as men get older, but the research suggests something else may also be happening: men today appear to have lower levels than previous generations did at the same age.
Can endurance training lower testosterone?
Endurance training itself is not necessarily the problem. The risk rises when heavy training is repeatedly combined with insufficient food, poor sleep and inadequate recovery, creating low energy availability.
What are the signs of low testosterone?
Possible signs include persistently low libido, sexual dysfunction, reduced energy, loss of muscle, mood changes and unexplained poor recovery. These symptoms can have many other causes, so they cannot diagnose low testosterone on their own.
When should testosterone be tested?
Speak to your GP if you have persistent symptoms that concern you. A proper diagnosis generally requires relevant symptoms alongside consistently low results from appropriately timed blood tests.
The bottom line
The idea that men’s testosterone has fallen by 54% is alarming, but it should not become another excuse for panic, macho posturing or miracle supplements. The precise number may evolve as the research is scrutinised, but evidence of a broader generational decline is becoming difficult to ignore. The cause is likely to be a combination of metabolic health, movement, sleep, alcohol, nutrition, under-recovery and environmental exposure.
Understanding the decline is useful. Doing something about it is better. Discover how to increase testosterone naturally with practical changes that support your performance and long-term health.
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Research referenced
Levine H. Temporal trends in total and free testosterone (1972–2019): a systematic review and meta-trend analysis. Presented at the 2026 annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Santi D et al. Temporal trends in serum testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels indicate an ongoing resetting of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function in healthy men: a systematic review. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, 2025.
Fraile-Martínez Ó et al. Understanding the secular decline in testosterone: mechanisms, consequences, and clinical perspectives. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2026.
Cupka M et al. Hungry runners: low energy availability in male endurance athletes and its impact on performance and testosterone. 2023.
Holtzman B et al. Low energy availability surrogates are associated with adverse health and performance outcomes in male athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2025.
