Zinc is another micronutrient that is essential for human survival.

Any list of testosterone boosting foods that you read online will most likely have foods on there due to their high zinc content.

Animal products, eggs, and beans all good sources of zinc.

Some of zinc’s primary functions include:

• boosting immunity,
• fighting cancer,
• balancing hormones, and
• fighting diabetes.

Zinc has been found to have a direct impact on testosterone, but the extent of its impact is dependent on whether you have a deficiency.

Most people get enough zinc through diet and it is not really a common deficiency.

Like the other micronutrients, zinc supplementation will impact your testosterone levels only to the extent that you are deficient in it.

At high doses, though, zinc can also act as an aromatase inhibitor, i.e. it reduces estrogen levels.

Let’s take a quick look at research:

1. Wrestlers supplementing with zinc (3mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks were found to have significantly higher testosterone levels (1).
2. After exercising on a stationary bike, subjects experienced a decrease in testosterone levels. Supplementing with zinc, however, prevented this decrease (2).
3. 10 elite athletes supplementing with 3 grams of zinc per kg of bodyweight were found to experience higher testosterone levels (3).

Zinc is lost through sweat. So if you’re exercising daily or you live in a hot environment, zinc supplementation can be very important for you. But then again, keep in mind that if you already have balanced zinc levels, supplementing with it won’t do much for your T.

As for zinc’s status as an aromatase inhibitor:

Rats with a zinc deficiency showed a 57% increased expression of estrogen receptors (16).

(source)​