Dr. Stengler: Hey everybody, it's Dr. Mark Stengler. In this video, I'm going to cover surprising causes of testosterone deficiency — causes that you're probably not aware of, and that your doctor is likely not testing you for.
Testosterone deficiency is a major problem in men. Low testosterone can cause fatigue, low libido, sexual dysfunction, loss of muscle mass, loss of bone mass, and can even affect cardiovascular health and cognitive function. Across the world, testosterone deficiency is becoming much more common — and one of the main surprising reasons is endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs.
EDCs are chemicals found in common everyday substances such as water bottles, plastics, cosmetics, canned foods, fertilizers, toothpaste, soaps, textiles, carpets, utensils, and deodorants. These man-made chemicals get into the body and interfere with the production of testosterone in the testicles — specifically disrupting specialized cells called Leydig cells, which are responsible for producing testosterone.
Let me go into more detail on the specific chemicals involved.
Phthalates are used in plastics and have been found in the urine of 75% of Americans. They disrupt testosterone production and interfere with cholesterol metabolism in the testicular cells — and cholesterol is actually the building block for testosterone.
BPA — bisphenol A — is a plasticizer also found in the urine of most Americans, and studies have linked it to disrupted hormone production.
Dioxins and PCBs disrupt the messaging system from the brain to the testicles that's essential for testosterone production. These chemicals are found in chlorine-bleached paper pulp, pesticides, and herbicides, and they enter the body through the food chain — accumulating in meat, dairy products, fish, and shellfish, and then in the human body as well.
Insecticides and pesticides are also found in the urine of men, and research has shown they're associated with reduced testosterone levels. A study published in the International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology found that pesticides and insecticides significantly decreased both testosterone and sperm levels.
Heavy metals, particularly mercury, have been extensively studied for their ability to inhibit testosterone production. Mercury interferes with testosterone synthesis in the testicles and is found in foods such as tuna, large fish like halibut and swordfish, and shellfish. A different form of mercury can also come from amalgam dental fillings, which unfortunately do contain mercury as part of the amalgam mixture.
It's important to avoid these endocrine disrupting chemicals as much as possible. There are tests your doctor can run — and that we run with our patients — to measure the levels of these chemicals in the body. If levels are elevated, we can take specific steps to detoxify them and free up testosterone production. And it goes beyond testosterone — these chemicals can interfere with all sorts of hormone production in the body, which I'll cover in future videos.
I hope you learned a lot from this video and now have a better understanding of one of the major surprising causes of testosterone deficiency.
Could environmental toxins be silently destroying your testosterone levels?
In this revealing video, Dr. Mark Stengler uncovers the real and overlooked causes of low testosterone in men—including hidden exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), heavy metals like mercury, and everyday products you use without a second thought.
💡 You’ll discover:
👨⚕️ Dr. Stengler also shares simple lifestyle changes and clinical insights from nearly 30 years in integrative medicine to help you restore hormonal balance naturally.
📞 Want to learn more about Dr. Stengler’s personalized men’s health care?
Visit: https://www.markstengler.com
📍 Located in Encinitas, CA — serving men across the U.S. with holistic testosterone solutions.
