Cannabis and Testosterone: Does CBD Lower Testosterone?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is the hot-favorite cannabinoid of the cannabis plant, loved by people all across the globe. This obsession is for several reasons, mainly because of CBD's huge plethora of benefits. CBD's exceptional potential to improve the quality of life has led users to wonder if CBD affects testosterone or does CBD lower testosterone.

CBD can closely interact with your body's endocannabinoid system, which supervises and controls multiple mechanisms, including hormonal production. A lot is happening in your body, and hormones have most of the charge over your body's mechanisms. 

Ever wonder how your body manages to operate in harmony day after day? Yes, you got it right. It’s all about those hormones helping your body communicate well. Testosterone is a significant male hormone that regulates sperm production, sex drive, and several other functions. [1] 

Our expert analysis brings forth several facts regarding the relationship between CBD and testosterone. This write-up is all about our diligent research on the most frequently asked question; Does CBD increase or decrease testosterone? Stick around to learn more. 

What Is Testosterone? 

Just like other hormones, testosterone is a chemical messenger that operates in your body to induce certain physical and chemical changes in the body. You might be wondering if testosterone production is confined to male bodies, but that's not the case. Females produce testosterone as well but in a comparatively smaller amount. 

Males have Leydig cells in their testicles that are typically involved in the production of testosterone. There are a plethora of functions accomplished by testosterone in men’s bodies. Some of the following are:

• Production of sperm 

• Sexual arousal and sex drive

• Distribution of fat in different parts of the body

• Maintenance of bone mass

• Development of muscles and promotion of increased strength

• Production of new red blood cells in the body. 

If your body fails to produce sufficient amounts of testosterone due to any persisting health factor, you may become infertile. The major reason is that testosterone helps you produce healthy sperm. On the contrary, if testosterone production increases in women, it might lead to infertility. 

Also, to understand everything better, it’s substantially important to know the sites where testosterone is produced in your body. The pituitary gland and the brain critically govern the level of testosterone in your body.

CBD’s interaction with Hormones

Let's discuss the link between cannabis and testosterone, or more specifically, at what points does cannabidiol interact with the maintenance of hormonal levels. There are a few ways that CBD may impact, enhance, or diminish the production of certain hormones in your body.

1. Production of hormones:

   The glands in your body are fully covered with cannabinoid receptors, which the endocannabinoid system directly controls. CBD interacts with the ECS and cannabinoid receptors of the body. This ultimately empowers CBD to have an indirect charge over the production of hormones as well. This way, it can alter the patterns of hormonal production and impact the organs.
   Mostly when the CB1 receptors are activated, the whole process is initiated by the hypothalamus, which has charge over hormonal synthesis. Ultimately a series of chemical messages are forwarded to other glands that trickle down and trigger the production of hormones as a response. 
   
   

2. Response Mechanism:

   CBD possesses a remarkable ability to influence, diminish or enhance the volume or strength of the hormonal message sent to the glands for triggering them to produce hormones. Also, it can impact the sensitivity level of the receptors in the glands.
   This way, CBD can influence the "response" mechanism of the Respective hormonal glands to increase or decrease the production of various hormones. Experts believe that this is exactly how CBD can impact the production of hormones.
   
   

3. Breakdown of hormones

   Where does the hormone go as soon as it accomplishes its respective function? It is disposed of and cleared by enzymes. This enzyme action is indirectly altered by cannabinoids, which results in alteration in the patterns of hormones.

How Does CBD Affect Testosterone Level? 

Several studies bring forth different factors that need to be arranged in order to better comprehend the effects of CBD on production. 

Does CBD lower testosterone? According to the results of a recent experiment on monkeys, CBD was found to increase the production of LH and FSH hormones. The doses used were a lot higher than people generally consume. However, surprisingly there was no change in testosterone level until the dose was exceptionally increased to an unrealistic level. It displays that CBD doesn’t show any substantial impact on the level of testosterone. [2] 

The following studies suggest that CBD may reduce the production of testosterone in the body. 

• CBD was shown to have adverse effects on testosterone production in mice and rats. However, this experiment involved extensively high doses of CBD that are practically not used. [3] 

• An enzyme called 17α-hydroxylase actively produces testosterone in the testes. CBD can directly inhibit this enzyme, thereby preventing testosterone levels from declining.

Medical science potentially lacks proper literary work to elaborate on the effects of CBD on human beings. We need more practical trials on humans to have more explicit results in this regard. 

Does CBD Increase Testosterone In Any Way?

One important point to consider is that all the studies that support the concept of CBD inhibiting testosterone levels have used extremely high doses of CBD. Also, as testosterone levels are also decreased by stress and inflammation, CBD might help improve the production of testosterone through its assistance in fighting off stress and inflammation in the body. 

Final Thoughts: 

With all this said, we recommend you to exercise regularly and not consume extensively high doses of CBD. Make sure to track your doses and give yourself frequent breaks to revive the body's regular production of hormones. 

For those still wondering does CBD lower testosterone? CBD doesn’t show any substantial impact on reducing testosterone production in human beings if used in average doses. 

research referenced above:
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/226440/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6248648/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31313338/