Tools for Hormone Optimization in Males | Dr. Kyle Gillett

(instrumental music) Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life. I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. Today, my guest is Dr. Kyle Gillett. Dr. Kyle Gillett is a dual board-certified physician in family medicine and obesity medicine and an expert in hormone optimization. He is an MD, that is a medical doctor, and he treats patients with a variety of backgrounds, ages, and goals. Today, we discuss male hormone optimization. We discuss behavioral tools, nutrition-based tools, supplement-based tools, prescription drug-based tools, and their interactions in determining overall levels of testosterone, free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrogen, growth hormone, thyroid hormone, and many other hormones that impact mood, libido, well-being, strength, cognition, and various psychological factors. We've covered hormone optimization in both men and women in previous episodes of the Huberman Lab Podcast, but today's discussion is different. Dr. Kyle Gillett offers very specific recommendations for people with different goals and of different ages, and we get deep into the weeds of, for instance, how does one know whether or not their testosterone is optimized or not, how often to test for specific hormones such as testosterone and other hormones, and really how to gauge how good one should feel. This is something that's often overlooked in discussions about hormone optimization or health optimization of any kind for that matter. For instance, people will talk about reduced libido and discuss whether or not testosterone levels are to blame, but how does one calibrate their libido in the first place? That is, how does one know whether or not their libido is normal, too low, or too high? We also discuss, for instance, whether or not hormone optimization should be pursued continually throughout the year, for instance, whether or not you should cycle on and off supplements and/or prescription drugs geared towards hormone optimization, and we discuss the behavioral foundations of optimal hormone function. These are things that every male should be doing and various things they should actively avoid if their goal is to have healthy hormones and to, quote-unquote, "optimize" their levels of every hormone from growth hormone to testosterone at any stage of life. And while today's discussion is about male hormone optimization, I want to emphasize that we discuss all the various ages for male hormone optimization. So for those of you that are parents, for those of you that are young, those of you that are middle-aged or old or teenagers, we explore adolescent, puberty, teen and late teens, early adulthood, adulthood, and into the late geriatric ages. So regardless of your age and whether or not you are male or female, today's episode ought to be of interest to you. I should also point out that we will soon also be hosting an expert guest on female hormone optimization. One thing that I'm certain people of all ages and biological sex will enjoy about today's conversation is that we also get into descriptions of how psychology and life events impact hormones and how hormones impact our psychology and the way that we show up to various life events. So today is really a broad overview that goes all the way down to fine details about male hormone optimization, and I'm certain that by the end of today's episode, you'll have an immense amount of new information about how this endocrine, that is hormone system in your body works, and how it interacts with your brain and other tissues, and many, many actionable tools that you can pursue regardless of stage of life. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is however part of my desire and effort to bring zero-cost-to-consumer information about science and science-related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, I'd like to thank the sponsors of today's podcast. Our first sponsor is Thesis. Thesis makes custom nootropics, and as I've said many times before on this podcast, I am not a fan of the word "nootropics" because it means smart drugs, and frankly, there are no specific neural circuits in the brain or body for being, quote-unquote, "smart." Thesis understands this, and they've developed custom nootropics that are designed to bring your brain and body into the state that's ideal for what you need to accomplish. They use the highest quality ingredients, things like phosphatidylserine, Alpha-GPC, many ingredients that I've talked about before on this podcast and that I happen to use myself. I've been using Thesis for over a year now, and I can confidently say that their nootropics have been a game changer. For me, I like their nootropic for clarity, I use that before cognitive work often, and I like their nootropic for energy, and I often use that before workouts, in particular, workouts that are especially intense. To get your own personalized nootropic starter kit, go online to takethesis.com/huberman, take their three-minute quiz, and Thesis will send you four different formulas to try in your first month. Again, that's takethesis.com/huberman and use the code Huberman at checkout to get 10% off your first box. Today's episode is also brought to us by ROKA. ROKA makes eyeglasses and sunglasses that are of the absolute highest quality. The company was founded by two All-American swimmers from Stanford, and everything about ROKA eyeglasses and sunglasses were designed with performance in mind. I've spent a lifetime working on the biology of the visual system, and I can tell you that your visual system has to contend with an enormous number of challenges in order for you to see clearly, for instance, when you move from a sunny area to a shady area and back again, whether or not you're looking at something up close or off into the distance. ROKA understands the biology of the visual system and has designed their eyeglasses and sunglasses accordingly so that you always see with perfect clarity. ROKA eyeglasses and sunglasses were initially designed for activities such as running and cycling, and indeed they are very lightweight. Most of the time I can't even remember that they're on my face they're so lightweight. But the important thing to know about ROKA eyeglasses and sunglasses is that while they can be used during sports activities, they also have a terrific aesthetic and they can be used just as well for wearing to work or out to dinner, et cetera. If you'd like to try ROKA eyeglasses and sunglasses, you can go to ROKA, that's roka.com and enter the code Huberman to save 20% off on your first order. Again, that's ROKA, roka.com, and enter the code Huberman at checkout. Today's episode is also brought to us by Helix Sleep. Helix makes mattresses and pillows that are of the absolute highest quality. I started sleeping on a Helix mattress well over a year ago and it's been the best sleep that I've ever had. One of the things that makes Helix mattresses so unique is that they match the design of the mattress to your unique sleep needs. So for instance, if you go onto their website, you can take a brief quiz, this only takes about two or three minutes, and you'll answer questions like, do you tend to run hot or cold throughout the night? Or whether or not you sleep on your back, your side, or your stomach, or maybe you don't know.Regardless, they will match you to the custom mattress that's ideal for your sleep needs. For me, that was the Dusk, D-U-S-K, mattress, which for me was not too firm, not too soft and was ideal for my sleep patterns. You take the quiz and you'll find out what mattress is ideal for your sleep patterns. So if you're interested in upgrading your mattress, go to helixsleep.com/huberman, take their brief sleep quiz and they'll match you to a customized mattress and you'll get up to $200 off any mattress order and two free pillows. They have a 10-year warranty and you get to try out the mattress for 100 nights risk-free. Again, if you're interested, you can go to helixsleep.com/huberman for up to $200 off and two free pillows. The Huberman Lab Podcast is now partnered with Momentous Supplements. To find the supplements we discuss on the Huberman Lab Podcast, you can go to livemomentous, spelled O-U-S, livemomentous.com/huberman. And I should just mention that the library of those supplements is constantly expanding. Again, that's livemomentous.com/huberman. And now for my discussion with Dr. Kyle Gillett. Dr. Gillett, great to have you back.