I wonder if it is possible to compare today's T levels with men of 100 years ago or even more. It could be that the industrialization and urbanization has caused a massive change in T levels because of natural reasons (less sun, less exercise, less anxiety, processed foods, tight clothing, what have you)
Alcohol, plastics (which leech from containers into the liquid they contain), pesticides (on fruits, vegetables)—there are a host of environmental factors that reduce our testosterone levels.
And as for anxiety, I think our modern urban lifestyle far increases our anxiety levels compared to our ancestors.
The human body was not meant for the world we live in!
I've wondered about the effect that environmental factors might have on Japan's current predicament- something in the water? did processing of soy products change at some point such that levels of the estrogen analogs ended up being higher? I guess I haven't been quite curious enough to see if there have been any rigorous studies that have compared T levels there over the last few decades.
I suspect women never really talked about menopause until recent decades, yet they have been experiencing it throughout the existence of our species. (Although there is that traditional "Maiden, Mother, Crone" thing. Hmm.)
Anyway, only recently have men started talking about andropause. The main reason it is still a controversial subject is because men's reproduction systems don't completely shut down, and because the process can sometimes be much slower. However we still go through many of the same hormonal changes and it is rather unnerving.
I think we have only the barest minimum of understanding of the chemical processes that control and regulate our bodies. Jumping on the production a single chemical as the root of all issues is a little ridiculous sounding to me. Especially in light of all of the recent discoveries about our microbiome. (gut bacteria)
It is an insanely complex interplay. Over the next few decades I'm sure our understanding will increase exponentially.
It would indeed be very interesting to compare the spectrum and balance of hormones and microbiome structures from 100 years ago to those typical in the contemporary human. It could be different because of lifestyle and environment, or it could be self regulating, and nearly the same (the perceived differences being cultural).
There are a few blood archives going back multiple decades which might allow this. For example, I read a while ago one study which used a US military blood archive with samples from the 1950s to check that some blood biomarker had genuinely increased since then.
