The Importance of Testosterone In the Body and its Functions

Testosterone itself is the principal male sex hormone. Hormones are defined and classified as chemical messengers of the human body, which means that hormones are what send messages to different cells and tissues in the body to tell those cells and tissues what to do (grow muscle tissue, heal and repair, manufacture important components, perform a specific job, etc.). Without hormones of all different types, all functions within the human body will proceed unregulated and out of control. How much Testosterone the average male produces is dependent on many different factors, which include: individual genetics, age, lifestyle habits, nutritional habits, and activity levels. On average, it has been determined that the median level of Testosterone production among males is between 50 – 70mg weekly. Where any given individual might land within that range is dependent on the aforementioned factors. It is common knowledge that the most prominent effects of the hormone Testosterone appear and are experienced during puberty, which is evidenced by an increase in Testosterone production and secretion, and will typically reach the highest endogenous levels at this point in any given man’s life. This significant increase in Testosterone serves to impart very important physiological changes of the male human body. Testosterone governs many different functions within the body, as is typical of nearly all hormones. The nature of hormones is to govern systemic functions all throughout the body, and Testosterone is no exception to this.

As the principal male sex hormone, Testosterone is responsible for governing the development and maintenance of male secondary sex characteristics (deepening of the voice, bodily and facial hair growth, increased sebum secretion on the skin, and development and growth of the male sexual organs which includes spermatogenesis (development of sperm) and increase in libido and sexual function. All of these functions are known as male secondary sex characteristics as well as androgenic (masculinizing) effects and they cannot function or develop properly or efficiently in an environment in which Testosterone levels are inadequate.
Although it is considered an androgenic effect as well, the muscle growth promoting effects have been categorized more independently as an anabolic effect. The word ‘anabolic’ refers to the promotion of tissue growth within the body, and in this case refers to the growth promotion of muscle tissue. This occurs through Testosterone’s ability to signal an increase in the rate of protein synthesis (the rate at which the body can synthesize and create new strands of contractile protein within muscle tissue). Hence this is why males on average naturally are more muscular than females and why males normally carry a heavier lean body weight than females do. Females possess very miniscule amounts of Testosterone, and this can be seen where it has been discovered that the average male endogenously produces approximately 2.5 – 11mg daily of Testosterone. In comparison, females manufacture approximately 0.25mg daily of Testosterone, which is approximately 90% less (or 1/10th) than men. In females, their primary sex hormone is Estrogen, and it too is a steroid hormone, although not an anabolic steroid. By virtue of this distinction, Estrogen exhibits very different effects in the body compared to Testosterone, hence the vast differences between males and females. For example, women naturally possess a ‘softer’ tone and naturally hole more body fat than males do, which is a typical characteristic of Estrogen as it does promote fat retention/storage in various key areas of the body, which is important for female-specific roles (such as pregnancy and fetal development). In addition to this difference, females also exhibit a shorter height, vastly less muscle mass than men, and are far more prone to age-related bone deterioration. This is a direct result of the difference in hormonal dynamics between men and women.