# Is testosterone dropping evenly in all countries/cities/regions on earth?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 27, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916 "2012-03-27T02:28:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Three_Packs_a_Day)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/1 "2012-03-27T02:28:44Z")
Okay, so this board is filled with educated people so I probably don’t have to explain that male T levels have supposedly (according to a Boston-area accidental discovery about a decade ago) dropped 1% a year since 1985. Many culprits have been named for this decline, including increased obesity, birth control chemicals, aerosol sprays, the rubber lining of tin cans, decreases smoking tendencies (though not by me, obviously (see my username)), and even, if you believe Steven Pinker, the constant adaptation of the male mind/body to an increasingly feminized world.
My concern is: are T levels dropping the same rate everywhere on earth? I mean, what if this is only happening in america? That would be yet another reason why our country is in danger of being conquered by China/ the middle east/ et al; they stay macho and we get pansy-fied and we aren’t prepared to protect our borders and stuff.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/2 "2012-03-27T03:34:01Z")
Actually, I would like it if you would give us some real proof that testosterone levels are indeed dropping. You’re new to our board, so you may not realize that we are really keen on cites here. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Three_Packs_a_Day)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/3 "2012-03-27T03:38:47Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#):
>
> Actually, I would like it if you would give us some real proof that testosterone levels are indeed dropping. You’re new to our board, so you may not realize that we are really keen on cites here. 🙂
MSN news used to have this article (back in 2007-ish) titled “Your Dad Had More Testosterone Than You”. Strangely I can’t find it; too bad, because it had this funny picture of a shirtless young man slouching against a wall with his thumb under his gym short waistband, and I always thought it was funny because I wondered who that kid was and why he took that job and where he is now.
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/4 "2012-03-27T04:52:08Z")
Here’s the article:
[http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2006/11/02/your-dad-had-more-testosterone-than-you.html](http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2006/11/02/your-dad-had-more-testosterone-than-you.html)
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/5 "2012-03-27T16:25:39Z")
Also, I very much doubt if a slight decline in testosterone is going to lead to the USA being “conquered by China/the Middle East et al”. Plenty of things might - laziness, poor education, disastrous foreign policy - but not that.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/6 "2012-03-27T16:51:17Z")
Where obesity rates go up, testosterone levels go down.
> **[Male obesity linked to low testosterone levels, study shows](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100503135659.htm)**
>
> Obesity, a condition linked to heart disease and diabetes, now appears to be associated with another health problem, but one that affects men only -- low testosterone levels.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/7 "2012-03-27T17:53:15Z")
Okay, so it looks like we have established that testosterone levels are indeed dropping in the United States. I’m less concerned about US American males not protecting their own borders and more concerned with them rampaging around all over the world, so maybe the lower testosterone levels will be a good thing. 🙂
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### Author:  [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/8 "2012-03-27T18:13:27Z")
In the US, it’s been all downhill since Teddy Roosevelt was in the White House. But really, how could we have possibly surpassed that benchmark?
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### Author:  [@JoshuaSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoshuaSD)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/9 "2012-03-27T18:16:56Z")
Further Support from NIH Site
> **[Obesity, low testosterone levels and erectile dysfunction - PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18843273/)**
>
> Obesity is an important risk factor for many common diseases including cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, cancer and erectile dysfunction (ED). Adipose tissues produce a number of adipokines and cytokines, which affect endothelial and...
Im not a doctor so I really dont know how to interpret any of this.
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/10 "2012-03-27T20:13:42Z")
> [@Three\_Packs\_a\_Day](#):
>
> Many culprits have been named for this decline, including decreases smoking tendencies
Decreased smoking tendencies would be a culprit for lowered testosterone levels? Please explain. 😕
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-testosterone-dropping-evenly-in-all-countries-cities-regions-on-earth/616916/11 "2012-03-28T00:21:56Z")
I have no idea why, but that’s what the cite says.