American Heart Month: The Heart–Hormone–Libido Connection (and how to boost all three)

Jacob McNamara
Jan 27
3 min read

February is American Heart Month—a perfect time to talk about your heart… and the other things your heart is quietly responsible for: energy, mood, hormone balance, and libido. Because when circulation and recovery are struggling, everything downstream feels “low pressure.”

Here’s the simple idea: libido is a blood-flow + nervous system + hormone conversation. If the “pump” is underpowered (or your stress and sleep are chaos), it’s harder to feel energized, confident, and connected.

Quick note: In the spoken version of the video, you might hear “nitric acid”—the mechanism we’re aiming for is nitric oxide (NO), which helps blood vessels relax and open (vasodilation).

1) Fuel the system: healthy fats = hormone building blocks

Your body uses cholesterol as a starting material to make steroid hormones (think testosterone, estrogen, progesterone). That’s why healthy fats matter—not as a fad, but as “raw materials” in the bigger hormone picture.

Easy upgrades:

Extra virgin olive oil
Avocado / avocado oil
Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, etc.)

Omega-3s: heart support with a simple rule

The American Heart Association recommends two servings of fish (especially fatty fish) per week. If you don’t reliably eat fish, a quality omega-3 supplement can be a reasonable backup plan.

2) Improve circulation: nitrates → nitric oxide → vasodilation

If you want better “circulation vibes,” think beets, arugula, spinach, and other leafy greens. These foods provide dietary nitrate, which your body can convert through the nitrate → nitrite → nitric oxide pathway. Nitric oxide helps blood vessels relax and can support vascular function.

Why you should care: better blood flow supports the heart—and it’s also part of sexual function and performance.

3) Move the system: exercise signals your vessels to work better

Exercise isn’t just “calories.” When you move, your blood vessels experience shear stress, which stimulates the endothelium (vessel lining) and supports NO-dependent vasodilation and healthier vascular function over time.

Simple weekly target:

Strength training (2–4x/week)
Cardio (steady “Zone 2” style + some harder bursts if appropriate)
Even brisk walking counts

4) Minerals: the assistant coaches (zinc + magnesium)

Zinc

Zinc status is strongly linked with testosterone; deficiency is associated with lower

testosterone, and supplementation tends to help most when someone is low to begin with.

Magnesium

Magnesium has research showing increases in free and total testosterone in some groups (it’s supportive—not magic).

Food-first options: pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, beans/legumes, nuts, oysters/seafood.

5) What to limit: added sugar + too much alcohol

Added sugar

The AHA recommends keeping added sugars modest—commonly summarized as about ≤25 g/day (women) and ≤36 g/day (men). Too much added sugar can sabotage energy, sleep quality, and overall cardiometabolic health—none of which helps hormones or libido.

Alcohol

If you drink, keep it reasonable. AHA guidance for people who choose to drink is up to 1 drink/day for women and up to 2 drinks/day for men. Research also links chronic/heavy alcohol intake with negative effects on testosterone production in men.

6) The “boring” basics that work: stress + sleep

Stress

Chronic stress keeps the body in “fight-or-flight,” which is basically the opposite of “rest, recover, connect.”

Sleep = free hormone support

One well-known study found that restricting sleep to ~5 hours/night for one week decreased daytime testosterone by about 10–15% in young healthy men.

Takeaway: if you want better energy and libido, guard your sleep like it’s your paycheck.

February office spotlight: targeted supplement support (not magic)

Supplements can be a helpful support layer—especially for people with lower baselines or higher stress loads—but they don’t override poor sleep, low movement, and a junk-food diet.

FemQuil (DIM) — Women’s hormone support

DIM (diindolylmethane) has evidence suggesting it can shift estrogen metabolism in certain populations and contexts.

Testoplex (Purified Shilajit + Tongkat Ali) — Men’s vitality support

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found purified shilajit (250 mg twice daily) increased total and free testosterone and DHEAS over 90 days in healthy men ages 45–55.
A systematic review/meta-analysis supports possible testosterone benefits from Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali), particularly in men with hypogonadism/low baseline testosterone.

Tribuplex (Tribulus terrestris) — For sexual function support

Tribulus has mixed data for testosterone, but there are randomized trials showing improvements in sexual function in some men, and recent systematic review work focuses on sexual function outcomes.

Safety note: Always check with your clinician before starting supplements—especially if pregnant/nursing, on blood thinners, on hormone therapy, or managing chronic conditions.