Derek of More Plates More Dates (MPMD) joined Dr. Rhonda Patrick for a discussion about testosterone. During their sit-down on Sept. 10, 2025, Derek revealed seven supplements that can help boost testosterone naturally.
Derek of the MPMD YouTube channel has become an authority on nutrition. He boasts ample knowledge on performance-enhancing drug use, helping fans, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts understand the science behind their health choices.
Between natty or not debates and dispelling steroid myths, Derek has grown an enormous following with over two million YouTube subscribers. Since boosting testosterone naturally has become a sought-after goal for many, he laid out how to move the needle with supplements alone.
Derek MPMD’s List of Supplements That Can Boost Testosterone
Find his list of supplements from the YouTube video below:
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- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Vitamin D
- Boron
- Ashwagandha
- Tongkat Ali
- Shilajit
These are options Derek MPMD doesn’t think meaningfully impact testosterone:
- Tribulus
- Fenugreek
According to Derek MPMD, anyone clinically deficient in zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D could boost their testosterone levels by 100-150 simply by improving these markers.
“I think if you were on the low end of the reference range or literally hypogonadal and you were clinically low or deficient for those, depending on if it’s all three or not, because there’d be an additive effect. I would say you’re looking at probably a potential incremental difference of 100-150 total T, maybe.”
He does caution that results are individual-specific:
“It kind of depends on the person of course. I’ve seen more robust responses in some studies, but I don’t want to exaggerate the expectations. But it is meaningful. Some of it can’t be directly measured either.”
Another under-the-radar supplement he believes can affect testosterone is boron, though he warned that more research is still needed to understand its overall impact.
“One that would be worth mentioning, but the literature isn’t super robust — it’s boron. That potentially has a suppressive effect on SHBG levels.
There’s some literature that looks promising, but I wouldn’t hang my hat on it and say it’s a guarantee that it’s going to suppress your SHBG from the high end of the reference range to something that’s much better, but it does seem to work for some people,” he said.
He named ashwagandha as another go-to, adding insight on how to arrive at an optimal dose.
“The difference between why you’d pick one or the other is the actual total dose. You can get away with using less milligrams of Sensoril because it has more Withanolides per milligram inclusion in your product, but they are both impactful.”
As for tongkat ali, Derek MPMD said it had merit because it can attenuate estrogen production.
“It seems to be a bit more speculative of how it works, but it seems to do a few things potentially. One, being minor, SERM activity potential, this is more speculative, SERM is a selective estrogen receptor modulator, so something that binds to estrogen receptors in either positively or negatively modulates them in selective tissues.
So there’s certain tissues where it’s going to be more favorable to have a selective inhibition of certain hormones, whereas others could be detrimental.”
Lastly, he pointed out that tribulus and fenugreek don’t have the scientific grounds to improve test levels. However, he believes high-quality shilajit can elicit meaningful changes.
“I think a lot of those have been disproven, like tribulus, fenugreek. One is notable that might do something is shilajit. If you get it high quality, the actual capacity of your organ to respond to hormones is partly conditional on its ability to tolerate stress and react to oxygen.
If you have more than you can deal with and you introduce a potent antioxidant into the equation, you may be able to attenuate and neutralize the decrement of performance.”
Derek hasn’t been the only high-profile YouTuber to explore the world of supplementation. Physiologist Dr. Mike Israetel recently revealed his top-five most overrated supplements for muscle growth and fat loss. Some products he named were glutamine, EAAs, and L-carnitine.
Derek of MPMD believes the seven supplements he discussed have some merit. However, tribulus and fenugreek were two that he argued lacked scientific backing.
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