Foods to increase testosterone work mainly in two situations: when they correct a real deficiency, such as low zinc or low vitamin D, and when a better diet helps a man with obesity lose weight. In men whose levels are already normal, no single food has been shown to raise testosterone in a meaningful way, and food does not treat confirmed hypogonadism.
Independently researched. Last reviewed October 21, 2026. Educational information only, not medical advice. Affiliate disclosure.
Most lists of foods to increase testosterone repeat the same items: oysters, eggs, salmon, beef, nuts. Some of that is grounded in real nutrition. Much of it stretches a small study about a deficiency into a promise for everyone. This guide separates the two, using the NIH fact sheets and the trials themselves. Supplements are covered separately in our comparison of TRT and testosterone boosters.
Which foods to increase testosterone actually have evidence?
The evidence is strongest for patterns and gaps, not for individual "superfoods." The table summarizes what the sources below support.
| Food or habit | What it supplies or changes | What the evidence shows | Who it helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oysters, beef, crab, beans | Zinc | Correcting zinc deficiency raised testosterone in a small study | Men low in zinc |
| Salmon, trout, tuna, egg yolks | Vitamin D | Mixed: a rise in deficient men, no effect in men with normal levels | Men low in vitamin D |
| Fewer calories, weight loss | Less body fat | Testosterone rises, more with greater weight loss | Men with obesity |
| Less alcohol | Less ethanol | Moderate drinking lowered testosterone slightly in a short trial | Regular drinkers |
| Enough dietary fat | Fat intake | Low-fat diets were linked to lower testosterone | Men on very low-fat diets |
| Soy foods | Isoflavones | No effect on testosterone in pooled trials | Not a concern for most men |
| Licorice | Glycyrrhizin | Conflicting small studies | Unclear |
The common thread: food helps when something is missing or excessive. It does not push a normal level higher.
Does zinc in food raise testosterone?
Zinc-rich foods to increase testosterone only help if you are short of zinc. The best-known study is small. In the Prasad study (Nutrition, 1996), nine marginally zinc-deficient older men took zinc supplements for six months, and serum testosterone rose from 8.3 to 16.0 nmol/L. In the same Prasad study, restricting dietary zinc in four healthy young men for 20 weeks lowered serum testosterone from 39.9 to 10.6 nmol/L. Both arms show what happens at the edges of zinc status, not what extra zinc does for a man who already gets enough.
Food sources are easy to find. The zinc fact sheet from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (updated 6 January 2026) says oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food, but beef contributes 20% of zinc intakes from food in the United States because it is commonly eaten. The zinc fact sheet sets the Daily Value for zinc at 11 mg for adults.
Who is more likely to run low? The zinc fact sheet lists people with gastrointestinal disorders, people who have had bariatric surgery, and people who follow vegetarian or vegan diets among the groups at risk. More is not better: the zinc fact sheet warns that doses of 50 mg or more over a period of weeks can inhibit copper absorption and reduce immune function, and sets the upper limit for adults at 40 mg a day.
Does vitamin D raise testosterone?
The trials disagree, and the difference is who was studied. A trial in Hormone and Metabolic Research (Pilz, 2011) gave vitamin D deficient men 3,332 IU daily for one year, and their total testosterone rose from 10.7 to 13.4 nmol/L versus baseline. The Lerchbaum trial (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2017) gave healthy men whose testosterone was already normal 20,000 IU of vitamin D3 a week or placebo for 12 weeks. Lerchbaum found that vitamin D had no effect on total testosterone in those men.
So vitamin D looks useful for testosterone mainly when it corrects a deficiency. The vitamin D fact sheet (updated 27 June 2025) says few foods naturally contain vitamin D, and that the flesh of fatty fish such as trout, salmon, tuna and mackerel and fish liver oils are among the best sources. The vitamin D fact sheet gives adult intake recommendations of 15 to 20 mcg (600 to 800 IU) a day, depending on age. The vitamin D fact sheet puts the upper limit between 25 and 100 mcg (1,000 to 4,000 IU) a day, depending on age.
A blood test tells you whether you are deficient. Guessing and taking large doses is not a substitute.
Does losing weight raise testosterone?
Yes, and this is the food change with the clearest evidence. A 2013 meta-analysis by Corona and colleagues in the European Journal of Endocrinology included 24 studies on diet or bariatric surgery. Corona found that both a low-calorie diet and bariatric surgery were associated with a significant rise in total testosterone. In the Corona analysis, the pooled rise after bariatric surgery (8.73) was about three times the rise with a low-calorie diet (2.87).
Corona also found that the androgen rise was greater in men who lost more weight, and in younger, non-diabetic men with a greater degree of obesity. In other words, the benefit comes from losing weight, not from any particular ingredient. For a man with obesity, a diet he can sustain that brings his weight down is likely to do more for testosterone than any single item on a list of foods to increase testosterone.
Does alcohol lower testosterone?
It can, even at moderate amounts. In a diet-controlled crossover study by Sierksma and colleagues (Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2004), ten middle-aged men drank beer with dinner during two periods of 3 weeks; on the beer with alcohol, their intake was 40 g of alcohol a day. In the Sierksma results, plasma testosterone decreased in men by 6.8% compared with alcohol-free beer.
That was a short, small trial, and the drop was modest. It does not tell you what years of heavier drinking do. It does show that cutting back belongs in any honest list of foods to increase testosterone, because removing something can matter as much as adding something.
Do low-fat diets lower testosterone?
The pooled evidence points that way. Whittaker and Wu (J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 2021) combined six intervention studies with a total of 206 participants. In the Whittaker analysis, total testosterone was lower on low-fat than on high-fat diets, with a standardized mean difference of -0.38. In the Whittaker subgroup of European and North American men, the effect was larger, at -0.52.
Those numbers are standardized effect sizes, not ng/dL. Whittaker and Wu say further randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm the effect. PubMed lists a 2026 erratum to the Whittaker paper, and the figures quoted here are from the current record.
The practical reading is modest. Very low-fat eating is not a good strategy if testosterone is your concern, but that does not mean adding fat beyond a normal, balanced diet raises it further.
Do soy and licorice lower testosterone?
Soy is mostly a myth. Reed and colleagues (Reproductive Toxicology, 2021) analyzed 41 studies, with total testosterone measured in 1,753 men. Reed found no significant effects of soy protein or isoflavone intake on testosterone or the other hormones measured, regardless of dose or study duration. Tofu, soy milk and edamame are not a testosterone problem for most men.
Licorice is genuinely unsettled. Armanini and colleagues (Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes, 2003) reported that mean testosterone decreased by 26% after one week of licorice in healthy men. Josephs and colleagues (The Lancet, 2001) twice attempted to replicate the effect of liquorice and could not, and pointed to differences in methods and possible statistical problems in the earlier report. Real licorice also carries other risks in large amounts, so it is not a food to eat heavily either way.
When are foods not enough?
When testosterone is clearly and repeatedly low. The Endocrine Society's clinical practice guideline (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2018) recommends confirming the diagnosis by repeating a morning fasting total testosterone test. The Endocrine Society's clinical practice guideline also recommends additional evaluation to find the cause of deficiency once it is confirmed.
Foods to increase testosterone cannot fix a pituitary problem, a testicular condition or a medication side effect. If your symptoms sound familiar, start with the low testosterone symptom guide and compare your result with testosterone levels by age. Then talk to a clinician about what the numbers mean for you.
Testing also comes before any prescription at online clinics. Across the 39 online TRT clinics we track, 14 list intake lab work as included in the price and 14 charge for it separately. For 9 clinics the intake lab step is not stated on the page we read, and 2 pages could not be read. Some men with low levels and fertility plans ask about options that keep the body's own production going; our enclomiphene hub explains how that works and what it costs.
Frequently asked questions: foods to increase testosterone
What is the single best food to increase testosterone? There is no single food with that effect in men who are not deficient. Zinc-rich foods such as oysters and beef, and vitamin D sources such as fatty fish, matter if your levels of those nutrients are low.
How fast can diet change testosterone? In the studies above, changes were measured over weeks to months: 3 weeks in the alcohol trial, 12 weeks in the vitamin D trial, and longer for weight loss and zinc.
Do eggs raise testosterone? Egg yolks provide some vitamin D, and eggs are a good protein source. No trial cited here shows eggs raising testosterone on their own.
Should I take zinc or vitamin D pills instead of food? A blood test can show whether you are low. Taking high doses without a deficiency has not been shown to raise testosterone and can cause harm. Ask a clinician before starting supplements.
Can diet replace TRT? Not for confirmed hypogonadism. Weight loss and correcting deficiencies can raise levels, but a clinician should assess clearly low results and their cause.
Related reading
- TRT vs testosterone boosters
- Signs of low testosterone
- Testosterone levels by age
- Enclomiphene clinics and how they work
- How much ashwagandha per day for testosterone
- Home testosterone test
Sources: Prasad et al., Nutrition, 1996; NIH ODS zinc fact sheet, updated 6 January 2026; Pilz et al., Hormone and Metabolic Research, 2011; Lerchbaum et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2017; NIH ODS vitamin D fact sheet, updated 27 June 2025; Corona et al., European Journal of Endocrinology, 2013; Sierksma et al., Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2004; Whittaker and Wu, J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, 2021; Reed et al., Reproductive Toxicology, 2021; Armanini et al., Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes, 2003; Josephs et al., The Lancet, 2001; Endocrine Society guideline, 2018.
Medical disclaimer: Educational information only, not medical advice. Diet changes do not treat confirmed hypogonadism. A licensed clinician must assess diagnosis and treatment. Some links on this site may lead to partners; see our affiliate disclosure. Last reviewed October 21, 2026.
