Nutrition

The OPTN canonical reference on nutrition for men’s health. Living document. Last meaningful expansion: 2026-04-07.

The frame

Most men’s nutrition content falls into two camps: aggressive optimization (carnivore, keto, IF protocols, complicated macros) or generic dietary guidelines (eat your vegetables, drink water, everything in moderation). Both miss the middle, which is where most of the actual leverage lives.

The middle is: enough protein to support training and lean mass, enough total energy to support training without crashing recovery, the four micronutrients that consistently move hormone markers in deficient men, and a clear-eyed view of alcohol. Almost everything else is noise unless you have a specific medical reason to care.

Protein

The single nutrition variable with the most evidence and the most consistent effect on body composition, recovery, and lean mass retention.

Targets

For an active adult man:

• Lean mass goal: 0.8-1.0 g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day (1.6-2.2 g/kg)
• Body recomposition or aggressive training: 1.0-1.2 g per pound (2.2-2.6 g/kg)
• Sedentary or weight-only loss: 0.7-0.8 g per pound is enough

These are higher than the RDA. The RDA is set to prevent deficiency, not to optimize body composition. The literature on protein and lean mass in adults is consistent: more protein, up to roughly 1 g per pound, produces better outcomes for body composition and recovery than less protein.

Distribution

Spread protein across 3-4 meals if you can. Each meal should hit roughly 30-50 g of protein for the muscle protein synthesis response to be maximized. Pounding 200 g of protein in two meals is functionally less effective than spreading the same total across four meals.

Sources

Whole-food protein sources are the default. Animal protein has the most complete amino acid profiles and the highest leucine content (the amino acid most directly tied to muscle protein synthesis). Plant protein works but requires more total grams and more attention to amino acid balance.

Whey protein is the most studied supplement in the protein category. Pea, rice, and other plant proteins work but require larger servings.

Energy intake

Men under-eat energy more often than they over-eat protein. The pattern: a man trains seriously, eats “clean,” restricts calories, and watches his energy, recovery, and testosterone all drift down. The fix is usually more food, not different food.

Rough targets for an active man:

• Maintenance: 14-16 calories per pound of bodyweight
• Lean mass gain: 16-18 calories per pound
• Fat loss: 11-13 calories per pound, no lower than 12 if you can avoid it

Below 11 calories per pound of bodyweight, sustained, the body starts treating things as a famine. Cortisol up. Testosterone down. Thyroid down. SHBG up. Recovery degraded. This is why aggressive cuts feel terrible after the first few weeks and why most “shredded” physiques are not built on sustainably low calorie intake.

Micronutrients that move the needle

Most micronutrients are noise unless you are specifically deficient. Four are worth tracking and addressing:

Vitamin D

The single most consistently associated micronutrient with testosterone in men. Low vitamin D status correlates with low testosterone in observational studies. Supplementation in deficient men has shown modest effects on testosterone in some studies (less consistent in non-deficient men).

• Target serum 25(OH)D: 40-60 ng/mL
• Typical supplement dose: 2000-5000 IU/day, with K2 (100-200 mcg MK-7)
• Test: 25-hydroxyvitamin D, annually or after starting supplementation

Sun exposure works too. About 15-20 minutes of midday sun on bare skin is roughly equivalent to a 2000 IU supplement for most men. In Maine, this is irrelevant from October through April.

Magnesium

Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions including those that regulate testosterone, sleep, and insulin sensitivity. Most men get less than the RDA from diet alone, especially if they avoid leafy greens.

• Form: Magnesium glycinate or magnesium threonate. Avoid magnesium oxide (poorly absorbed).
• Dose: 300-400 mg elemental magnesium per day
• Timing: Evening, often combined with sleep support

Zinc

Zinc deficiency suppresses testosterone production directly. Zinc supplementation in deficient men has shown effects on testosterone. In non-deficient men, the effect is muted.

• Dose: 15-30 mg per day, not more (chronic excess zinc interferes with copper absorption)
• Form: Zinc picolinate or zinc glycinate
• Test: Plasma zinc if you suspect deficiency

Omega-3 (EPA + DHA)

Anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, supportive of mood and cognitive function. The evidence for direct testosterone effects is mixed. The evidence for general health and inflammation is strong.

• Target intake: 2-3 g of combined EPA + DHA per day
• Source: Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) or supplement (fish oil or algae oil)
• Test: Omega-3 index (red blood cell EPA + DHA percentage). Target is above 8%.

Alcohol

Alcohol matters more than most men want to admit. The effects:

• Sleep architecture. Alcohol is the single most disruptive substance to sleep. Reduces REM, fragments deep sleep, causes early-morning awakenings.
• Testosterone. Acute alcohol intake suppresses testosterone for 24-72 hours. Chronic intake (more than 2-3 drinks per day) can cause sustained suppression.
• Cortisol. Elevated, especially the morning after drinking.
• Recovery. Impaired protein synthesis, impaired glycogen replenishment, impaired immune function.
• Body composition. Empty calories plus appetite disinhibition plus fat oxidation suppression.
• Cognitive function. Beyond the obvious, even moderate chronic intake is associated with brain volume changes in long-term observational data.

There is no defensible “optimization” frame that includes regular drinking. There is a defensible frame that includes occasional social drinking with eyes open about the trade-off. The line is somewhere around “more than once or twice a month” being where the cumulative effects start to bite.

The men who quit drinking entirely almost universally report better sleep, better mornings, better training, and better body composition within a few weeks. Very few of them go back.

Hydration

The standard 8 glasses of water per day is approximately right for most men, with adjustments up for hot climates, training, sweat losses, or high protein intake (which increases water needs slightly). Beyond that, hydration optimization is mostly a placebo industry.

The useful test: if your urine is consistently pale yellow throughout the day, you are hydrated enough. If it is darker than that, drink more water. If it is completely clear, you are over-hydrating slightly and may be flushing electrolytes.

What to ignore

The supplement and nutrition industries push a lot of things that do not move outcomes for most men:

• BCAAs (you get them from protein already)
• Most pre-workouts (caffeine works, the rest is noise)
• Test boosters (the marketing category. None of them produce clinically meaningful effects in men with normal testosterone.)
• Detox protocols
• Most “superfood” powders
• Apple cider vinegar
• Most adaptogens (the evidence is thin and inconsistent)
• Tribulus (well-studied, no testosterone effect in humans)

Sources and further reading

• Pizzorno L. “Nothing Boring About Boron.” Integr Med (Encinitas). 2015.
• Pilz S, et al. “Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men.” Horm Metab Res. 2011.
• Helms ER, et al. “Recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: resistance and cardiovascular training.” J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2015. (For protein and energy targets.)
• Phillips SM, Van Loon LJ. “Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation.” J Sports Sci. 2011.