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Derek

More Plates More Dates

Derek is the creator behind More Plates More Dates (MPMD). His work centers on fitness and endocrine health topics, including natural testosterone optimization, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), and the evaluation of health supplements. The provided context does not include any academic publications.

97 claims checked on air: 5 context 3 contradicted 5 overstated 73 supported 11 unverified

What they said on air - overstated

0:43:31overstatedlowHow To Increase Your Testosterone Levels Naturally | Derek f

Deficiencies in zinc, magnesium, or vitamin D can cause a deterioration in testosterone levels of over 100 ng/dL depending on severity.

"things like zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, like these all have a marked impact on your testosterone either response to it or capacity to produce it... if you don't look to those as part of your micronutrient optimization strategy, like you could be overlooking low-hanging fruit that like is a deterioration of, you know, 100 plus nanograms per deciliter per deficient micro potentially depending on how severe the deficiency." (said at 0:43:31)

The speaker's claim that micronutrient deficiencies can cause a drop of over 100 ng/dL in testosterone applies to severe zinc deficiency, but overstates the evidence when applied broadly to other micronutrients such as vitamin D. Small clinical studies show that severe zinc restriction significantly depresses testosterone. For example, Prasad et al. (1996) demonstrated that 20 weeks of dietary zinc restriction in young men caused serum testosterone to drop from 39.9 nmol/L (~1,150 ng/dL) to 10.6 nmol/L (~305 ng/dL), a decrease of over 800 ng/dL. However, extending this effect to vitamin D is not supported by clinical evidence. Multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) show that vitamin D supplementation produces no statistically or clinically significant change in total testosterone levels in men (pooled effect sizes of 0.20 to 0.47 nmol/L, or less than 15 ng/dL). Because the speaker groups zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D together as each potentially causing a deterioration of 100+ ng/dL, the general claim is overstated.

0:49:45overstatedlowHow To Increase Your Testosterone Levels Naturally | Derek f

Severe caloric restriction and reaching single-digit body fat in natural bodybuilders causes extreme suppression of testosterone, resulting in female-equivalent hormone levels.

"Typically, once you start to cross into that, like, you know, single-digit body fat threshold, you start to become so malnourished that you are inhibiting your actual capacity to produce hormones adequately... men who are dieting for bodybuilding shows naturally, it is not uncommon to see the end result of a hormone profile on like the last week, them to look more female on paper than like their girlfriend. Like that's how low their testosterone levels are." (said at 0:49:45)

Severe caloric restriction and achieving single-digit body fat during natural bodybuilding contest preparation consistently causes marked suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, resulting in clinically low (hypogonadal) testosterone concentrations (often dropping by >70%, down into the 100–200 ng/dL range). However, asserting that male competitors routinely end up with 'female-equivalent' testosterone levels (normal female reference ranges are typically ~15–70 ng/dL) is hyperbolic; testosterone drops into severely subnormal male ranges rather than typical female levels. The available body of evidence consists primarily of small observational cohorts and longitudinal case studies.

1:08:10overstatedmoderateHow To Increase Your Testosterone Levels Naturally | Derek f

Correcting clinical deficiencies in vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium can result in an incremental increase of 100 to 150 ng/dL in total testosterone.

"I would say like you're looking at probably a potential incremental difference of 100 to 150 total T maybe. It kind of depends on the person of course, like I've seen more robust response in some studies" (said at 1:08:10)

The claim that correcting micronutrient deficiencies in vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium reliably yields an incremental increase of 100 to 150 ng/dL in total testosterone overstates the published scientific evidence. Randomized controlled trials in men with low baseline testosterone and low vitamin D levels demonstrate no significant effect of supplementation on serum total testosterone levels (PMID: 30460609, PMID: 28938446, PMID: 23686706). Additionally, systematic evaluations of popular testosterone-boosting supplements containing these vitamins and minerals indicate that claims of meaningful testosterone elevation are largely unsupported by clinical trial data (PMID: 31385468).

1:13:18overstatedmoderateHow To Increase Your Testosterone Levels Naturally | Derek f

Ashwagandha at a dose of approximately 600 mg reduces cortisol and increases testosterone levels by upwards of 100 points.

"600 milligrams I think is the dose, but double check on that because I might be misremembering, but I'm pretty sure. And that is impactful um to the tune of upwards of another 100 points seemingly." (said at 1:13:18)

Randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses confirm that ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) supplementation (typically 240–600 mg/day) significantly reduces cortisol and increases serum testosterone in men. However, claiming an increase of "upwards of 100 points" (ng/dL) overstates the typical magnitude of the effect. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 randomized controlled trials found that ashwagandha supplementation increased testosterone in men by a mean difference of 57.43 ng/dL compared to placebo.

1:36:49overstatedmoderateHow To Increase Your Testosterone Levels Naturally | Derek f

Infrequent testosterone injections drive down sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels proportionally, leading to disproportionately high free testosterone.

"cuz when you inject infrequently too, you drive your SHBG down proportionally. That is not the same as a guy who's using an AndroGel to get to like 430 total T." (said at 1:36:49)

The claim is an overstatement of the pharmacokinetics and binding dynamics of exogenous testosterone formulations. Large, infrequent intramuscular injections of short-acting testosterone esters (such as biweekly testosterone cypionate or enanthate) create substantial peak-to-trough fluctuations. During high supraphysiologic peaks, total testosterone temporarily saturates sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) binding capacity, leading to a transiently higher fraction of free testosterone compared to the stable steady-state levels produced by daily transdermal gels (such as AndroGel). While high-dose androgens can moderately suppress hepatic SHBG synthesis over time, infrequent bolus injections do not drive circulating SHBG levels down proportionally in a sustained manner; rather, the elevation in free testosterone at peak concentrations is primarily driven by saturation of available binding sites rather than proportional destruction or suppression of the SHBG pool.

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