Grumpy old men, indeed. A beer belly, thinning hair and a bad attitude are all signs of male menopause, one author says.
Brad King, author of the book "Beer Belly Blues," says that just as women go through menopause thanks to a drop in the hormones estrogen and progesterone, men too experience menopause due to a steady decline of testosterone.
According to King, a best-selling author on nutrition, obesity and men's health, testosterone levels slowly decline after age 30, at a rate of about one per cent per year.
"By the time we're 60 we're producing, if we're lucky, 50 to 60 per cent of what we produced at our peak when we were in our 20s," King said Tuesday morning on CTV's Canada AM.
What happens, says King, is that the drop in testosterone leads to a loss of muscle tissue, which in turn slows down the body's metabolism.
A slower metabolism allows the body to gain fat, which is often most pronounced in the abdominal area.
Not only does abdominal fat put men at greater risk for a variety of health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer. But it also encourages the body to produce more of an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen, which reduces hormone levels even further.
"And some men, especially in North America, can actually have more estrogen in their bodies than women of the same age," King said.
A reduction in testosterone levels also contributes to thinning hair, declining libido and a loss of energy and vitality, which can all turn once virile men into the stereotypical grumpy old geezers.
According to King, men "don't want to share these physical and psychological problems."
In fact, only about five per cent of men seek treatment to alleviate the symptoms they are experiencing, often chalking them up to the unavoidable cost of aging.
But there are some lifestyle modifications men can make to boost testosterone levels, King says.
Some suggestions include:
- Cutting back on sugar, which actually helps the body store fat.
- Eating food with monounsaturated fats, such as almonds and avocados, which have a protective effect on the heart and can help maintain hormone levels.
- Exercising to build muscle mass and burn fat.
- Seeing a doctor about testosterone-replacement therapy.
