World’s Strongest Man Mitchell Hooper has doubled down on his belief that declining testosterone levels represent one of the biggest health challenges facing modern men, insisting the issue deserves far more attention than it currently receives.
The Canadian Strongman addressed the topic in a lengthy YouTube video after receiving backlash over a recent Instagram post, where he argued that many men may be living with low testosterone without even realising it.
“I made this Instagram post hurt some feelings and I’m here to break it all down for you today,” he said.
“But the long story short is if you’re watching this video, there’s a chance you need testosterone replacement therapy. In other words, it’s possible that your testosterone is low. And maybe you don’t know it, but I don’t care if you’re 20, 30, 40, 50, there’s a chance,” he said.
Throughout the video, Hooper repeatedly stressed that his opinions were based on published research, pointing viewers towards studies referenced in the video’s description.
“Let’s not be naive. Let’s not be stupid. Let’s talk about this objectively. Everything I say will be evidence-based with links down in the description to the actual studies themselves,” he said.
One of the central pieces of evidence Hooper highlighted was what he described as the largest study ever conducted into testosterone decline, involving more than one million men between 1970 and 2004.
According to Hooper, the research found testosterone levels had fallen by around 20% across the population over that period.
“We can extrapolate this data, break down the categories, and it is shown that the average 20-year-old man today has the average testosterone levels of a 60-year-old man in 1970,” he said.
Hooper also questioned how testosterone reference ranges are determined, arguing that “normal” does not necessarily mean healthy.
“I would say this is common. This is common range. This isn’t healthy range. We’re just saying what do we see often,” he said.
While acknowledging that obesity, poor sleep and lifestyle can influence testosterone levels, Hooper argued they do not fully explain the wider decline seen across the population.
He also challenged the idea that simply encouraging healthier lifestyles is enough.
“We should put lifestyle first,” he said. “But the fitness industry sits on a pedestal and says that we need to tell people to exercise more and more and more and that will make the world healthier… Fitness has never been so popular and obesity has never been so popular.”
Rather than discouraging lifestyle changes, Hooper believes medical intervention should also be considered where clinically appropriate and under professional supervision.
“You need this to be supervised by a medical doctor. You need testing and retesting to make sure that things are going okay,” he said.
He also warned against self-prescribing hormones or seeking treatment through unreliable sources.
“You should not do this by yourself. You should not get this sourced by a place that isn’t through a pharmacy. You shouldn’t get it from a friend. You shouldn’t do it if you currently have healthy testosterone levels,” he said.
Despite advocating for greater awareness, Hooper stopped short of describing testosterone replacement therapy as a cure-all.
“TRT is their answer to optimal health, you’re wrong. It’s a tool to use to be able to get you closer to healthy than you were before. If it’s medically indicated, if it’s prescribed by a doctor, if you have follow-ups and oversight,” he said.
Hooper finished by encouraging men to seek professional medical advice if they have concerns rather than ignoring the issue altogether.
“My encouragement is for everyone to get tested. That’s it. If you have a problem with people getting tested, you’re either the American Neurology Society or you’re just naive, callous, and sitting on a fitness industry pedestal,” he said.
He concluded with a reminder that he is not offering medical advice, telling viewers: “I’m not a doctor. Go talk to one. Lift up. Be kind.”
Featured image credit: Mitchell Hooper / YouTube
