Have chemicals been "covertly added" to the food supply to lower testosterone? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such actions have taken place and there is no evidence suggesting that generally eating food lowers testosterone.
The claim appeared in an Instagram post on June 18, 2022. The post includes a video that doesn't mention the claim, but the caption starts:
The plan to dismantle the family unit... in full force.
Chemicals to lower testosterone have been covertly added to the food supply... and media brainwashing the masses to degrade morals and respect to fathers and men.
This is how the post looked on Instagram at the time of writing:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Mon Jun 20 14:27:47 2022 UTC)
The post -- an attempt to sell a product that supposedly boosts testosterone but is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (see disclaimer at the bottom of the website) -- does not detail the specific chemicals allegedly added to the "food supply," when they were added or how they were added. There is no evidence presented in the post to corroborate the claim.
Eating food is necessary for survival and a balanced diet actually supports health. Although some studies have found that low-fat diets seemed to lower testosterone levels (here and here), these results cannot be applied to every person because such studies have not been performed repeatedly on a large scale. Excessive alcohol use has been shown to affect testosterone but drinking is not the same as eating food.
Lead Stories reached out to the Food and Drug Administration, the American Urological Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for comment on the claim. We will update this story with any responses.
