Few hormones are as well known as testosterone. Many only know the role it has in the body of men, without knowing that it is found in women as well.
This hormone plays an important role for sex and muscle growth, which has sparked a great curiosity in the world of supplements to find a way to increase the amount of testosterone in the body.
Substances like D-Aspartic Acid seem to raise the levels of this hormone. However, it is important to clarify any doubts in this regard.
What is the function of D-Aspartic acid?
Aspartic acid has two forms, a very common characteristic within amino acids. We can find L-aspartic acid within the body, which is responsible for producing proteins, and D-aspartic acid, which has the important function of producing and releasing hormones to the body.
In this way, D-aspartic acid can increase the levels of a hormone in the brain that. at the end of the day it will promote the release of more testosterone in the body . For this reason, this acid is often found in supplements that claim to increase testosterone levels.
Impact of D-Aspartic Acid on testosterone
A large number of studies have been carried out in the active population and the population that does not practice physical activities, and the results are quite contradictory and inconclusive.
Apparently, supplementation with D-aspartic acid in healthy, overweight men who did not exercise any physical activity resulted in increased levels of testosterone in the body. Now, the other side of the coin is found in the men who exercised physical activity during the studies: these individuals did not show any increase in testosterone levels, and even in certain cases showed a decrease in this hormone.
What are the effects of D-Aspartic acid?
1. Athletic performance
D-Aspartic Acid appears to have no impact on muscle mass growth or strength during training. Studies in people who practice weightlifting yielded the statement that the consumption of this acid did not alter the average values of muscle growth and strength during the study.
2. Fertility
There are not enough studies on the impact of D-aspartic acid in women, but it does appear to have a positive effect on male fertility.
Different studies in the male population showed that the consumption of D-aspartic acid resulted in a substantial increase in sperm activity and the average number of sperm.
For men suffering from infertility, D-aspartic acid appears to be incredibly beneficial, compared to those who have tried using it as a supplement to improve training results.
Recommended D-Aspartic Acid Intake
The common dose of D-aspartic acid is 3 grams per day. However, not all studies that used this amount were proven effective. Similarly, increasing the dose to 6 grams proved ineffective, so in this case, doubling the amount does not mean doubling the effects.
Conclution
D-aspartic acid appears to have an effect on testosterone, but not in relation to improvements in physical activity but in fertility in men. Thus, consuming this hormone seems to be unnecessary if the objective is not to improve the quantity and quality of sperm and combat infertility.
References
Tinsley, G. D-Aspartic Acid: Does It Boost Testosterone? For Healthline [Revised January 2018].
