Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ
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HEALTH

The Claim

Cold plunges increase testosterone levels in men.

The Short Version

This claim is not supported by the scientific evidence. The highest-quality peer-reviewed studies show cold-water immersion either blunts or decreases testosterone levels in men. The only sources supporting the claim are commercial cold plunge and cryotherapy vendors with clear financial conflicts of interest, and even one of those admits no definitive clinical trial exists. Any reported increases are trivially small (~5%), transient, and within normal hormonal fluctuation — not meaningful testosterone boosts.

Caveats

  • The peer-reviewed evidence (PubMed-indexed studies) consistently shows cold-water immersion blunts or decreases testosterone, directly contradicting the claim.
  • All sources supporting the claim are commercial vendors of cold plunge equipment or cryotherapy services, creating significant conflicts of interest.
  • One pro-claim source (Morozko Science) explicitly concedes that 'there is no definitive clinical trial that demonstrates the efficacy of whole-body cold plunge as a therapy for low testosterone.'

The Receipts

  1. Cold-water immersion blunts and delays increases in circulating testosterone and cytokines post-resistance exercise - PubMed

    PubMed

  2. [Effect of whole body cryotherapy on the levels of some hormones in professional soccer players] - PubMed

    PubMed

  3. Do Cold Showers Increase Testosterone? - Healthline

    Healthline

  4. Does a Cold Shower Increase Testosterone? - The Cooper Clinic

    The Cooper Clinic

  5. Do Cold Showers Boost Testosterone Naturally? - Doctronic

    Doctronic

  6. Do Cold Showers Increase Testosterone? What the Science Says

    Everlywell

  7. Cold Therapy and Testosterone: What Ice Baths and Cold Showers Really Do - Rock Ridge Pharmacy

    Rock Ridge Pharmacy

  8. Do Ice Baths Increase Testosterone? | Morozko Science

    Morozko Science

  9. How Cold Therapy Affects Testosterone and Sexual Wellness - Ice Barrel

    Ice Barrel

  10. Cryotherapy for Young Men's Hormone Balance: A Natural Solution - SunCryo

    SunCryo

+ 2 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

cold plungesmentestosterone

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