No, current research doesn’t support the idea that a vegan diet causes low testosterone. Multiple studies comparing vegan men to vegetarians and meat-eaters have found no meaningful deficit in testosterone among vegans. If anything, one well-known study found vegan men had higher total testosterone than the other dietary groups, though this came with a caveat that evened out the practical difference.
Here’s what the research actually shows about vegan diets and testosterone.
The Key Study Comparing Vegans, Vegetarians, and Meat-Eaters
A study published in the British Journal of Cancer examined 233 vegan men, 237 vegetarians, and 226 meat-eaters. The researchers found that vegans had higher total testosterone than the other two groups. However, this was offset by correspondingly higher sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) in the vegan men, which meant there were no significant differences in free testosterone, the biologically active form of the hormone, across any of the three dietary groups. In practical terms, this means vegan men weren’t walking around with less usable testosterone than meat-eaters. If anything, the numbers slightly favored the vegans on the raw total testosterone measure, even though the functionally relevant free testosterone came out essentially even.
A Second Study Reaches the Same Basic Conclusion
A separate study published in the World Journal of Urology analyzed national health survey data from 191 men and created a plant-based diet index to measure how closely each man’s diet aligned with a plant-based pattern. The researchers found that neither a general plant-based diet score nor a specifically healthy plant-based diet score significantly predicted testosterone levels. This held true regardless of whether the plant-based diet was considered nutritionally healthy or less healthy, reinforcing that the presence or absence of animal products in the diet itself wasn’t the deciding factor for testosterone levels.
Why the “Vegan Diets Lower Testosterone” Myth Persists
This belief likely persists for a few overlapping reasons. Meat and animal products carry strong cultural associations with masculinity and strength, which can create an intuitive, if unfounded, expectation that removing them would reduce a “masculine” hormone like testosterone. Additionally, soy products, common in many vegan diets, have their own persistent myth about lowering testosterone through their isoflavone content, a claim that a large, well-conducted meta-analysis of over 1,700 men has also found no support for. When these two myths combine, a vegan diet can seem doubly suspect, even though neither concern holds up individually under actual clinical scrutiny.
Where a Vegan Diet Could Genuinely Cause Problems
None of this means every vegan diet is automatically optimal for testosterone. A poorly planned vegan diet that’s low in overall calories, low in zinc, or deficient in vitamin D could plausibly contribute to lower testosterone, not because it’s vegan, but because any diet, vegan or otherwise, that creates these specific nutritional gaps can affect hormone production. Zinc absorption from plant sources tends to be lower than from animal sources due to compounds called phytates, so vegans may need to pay closer attention to zinc intake or consider it when reviewing their overall nutrition.
What a Well-Planned Vegan Diet Looks Like for Hormonal Health
If you’re following or considering a vegan diet and want to support healthy testosterone, a few practical points are worth prioritizing:
- Ensure adequate zinc intake through foods like legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, since plant-based zinc is less readily absorbed than animal-based zinc
- Get regular vitamin D through sunlight exposure, fortified foods, or supplementation, particularly during winter months
- Eat enough total calories and protein to avoid the kind of significant caloric deficit that can independently suppress testosterone
- Include a reasonable amount of dietary fat, since very low-fat diets, vegan or not, have been associated with lower testosterone in research
What This Means for You
If you’re vegan or considering going vegan and have concerns about testosterone, the research offers real reassurance: the diet pattern itself isn’t the problem. What matters more is whether the diet, as actually structured, provides adequate calories, zinc, vitamin D, and dietary fat. A well-planned vegan diet meeting these nutritional needs shows no meaningful disadvantage for testosterone compared to a traditional, meat-inclusive diet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do vegan men have lower testosterone than meat-eaters?
No, research has found vegan men have similar or even higher total testosterone compared to meat-eaters, with no significant difference in free testosterone, the biologically active form.
Does soy in a vegan diet lower testosterone?
No, a large meta-analysis of over 1,700 men found no significant effect of soy or isoflavone intake on testosterone, even at higher doses over extended periods.
What could actually cause low testosterone on a vegan diet?
A poorly planned vegan diet lacking adequate calories, zinc, vitamin D, or dietary fat could potentially contribute to lower testosterone, though this would be due to those specific nutritional gaps rather than the vegan diet pattern itself.
What nutrients should vegans pay extra attention to for hormonal health?
Zinc and vitamin D are worth particular attention, since plant-based zinc is less easily absorbed than animal-based zinc, and vitamin D can be harder to obtain without animal food sources or adequate sun exposure.