Josh Duhamel’s Medical Team Warned Against This One Thing. He Ignored Them and Discovered Why Every Man Over 40 Needs to Know

Actor Josh Duhamel recently sat down to discuss something most celebrities won’t touch publicly: testosterone therapy, aging, and what it really takes to perform at your best well into your 50s.

In a candid conversation on The Human Upgrade podcast with Dave Asprey, Duhamel revealed why he defied his agency’s advice and became the face of his own hormone health company, Gatlin Health.

The 53-year-old father of three didn’t hold back about his journey from low testosterone to feeling better than he did in his 30s.

And his message for men everywhere? It’s time to stop suffering in silence.

The Career Risk Nobody Wanted Him to Take

When Duhamel decided to launch Gatlin Health and put his face on a testosterone company, his talent agency told him it was a terrible idea.

The agency that I’m no longer with, but they said, ‘Don’t do it. It’s bad for your image. Maybe I’m going to get made fun of in the town for having this company.’

But Duhamel saw something his team didn’t: an epidemic of men struggling with low testosterone who had no idea help was available.

Nobody’s talking about it. Everybody’s doing it. And there’s so many guys out there who would love this information. You’re actually saving lives.

The actor decided his health—and helping other men—was more important than Hollywood’s approval.

Feeling Better at 53 Than at 33

Duhamel discovered he had low testosterone in his early 40s. The transformation after starting treatment was profound.

I feel better now than I did in my early to mid-30s. I’m not even kidding you. My joints, my back, my knees. I just feel stronger.

He injects testosterone three times per week, finding this frequency keeps his levels more stable than the traditional once-monthly approach that creates dramatic peaks and valleys.

The actor emphasized he tried various forms including Kaiser’s topical application before settling on injectable testosterone as his preferred method.

The difference has been life-changing, especially as a father to a 13-year-old, a 2.5-year-old, and a 3-month-old baby.

I have a 3-month old baby and a 2 and a half-year-old boy. And my oldest is about to be 13 tomorrow. My hands are so full.

Why Testosterone Matters Beyond Muscles

Most people think testosterone is just about physical strength or libido. But Duhamel and Asprey discussed how it’s fundamentally about being present as a father and partner.

Asprey explained that testosterone raises dopamine, which drives motivation to do what you care about most. Without adequate levels, men struggle to show up as providers and engaged fathers.

Research does support testosterone’s broader cognitive and behavioral effects. Low testosterone is associated with increased risk of depression, reduced motivation, and cognitive decline. A 2018 review in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Urology found that testosterone therapy in hypogonadal men can improve mood, energy, and quality of life, though the evidence for cognitive enhancement in men with normal baseline levels remains mixed.

Asprey even noted that testosterone helps with self-regulation, allowing fathers to be more patient with their children.

Duhamel sees this playing out in his own life as he navigates the demanding years of young fatherhood at 53.

Breaking the Black Box Warning Myth

For decades, testosterone therapy carried a black box FDA warning suggesting it could cause harm. Asprey explained this was based on flawed science from the 1970s.

The longevity medicine community has known for 25 years that men on appropriate testosterone therapy actually have lower all-cause mortality rates.

The research here is more nuanced than suggested. While some observational studies have found associations between testosterone therapy and reduced mortality in men with documented hypogonadism, major cardiovascular concerns emerged from a 2013 JAMA study and a 2014 PLOS ONE study linking testosterone therapy to increased heart attack and stroke risk. The FDA added warnings in 2015. More recent evidence, including a 2022 meta-analysis in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, found no increased cardiovascular risk and possible benefits in properly selected patients, but “25 years” of clear longevity consensus overstates the certainty—the evidence has been contested and evolving.

Women also benefit significantly from hormone replacement therapy. Asprey was on stage when the FDA announced they were removing the black box warning for women’s HRT.

He stood up and he said, ‘We were wrong for 23 years.’ And it was because of a press release, not because of real science.

Countless women suffered through menopause unnecessarily because of this misguided guidance.

The Gatlin Health Difference: Concierge Care for Everyone

What sets Gatlin Health apart from the flood of testosterone companies is their fully concierge model. Every client gets assigned a dedicated, licensed medical expert.

We didn’t want people to come to our company and not be able to have whatever questions they had answered. We have gone to a fully concierge model which means that every person that comes to us has a fully licensed medical expert sort of guiding them.

The process is straightforward:

• Connect with your assigned doctor
• Get blood work ordered
• Review results and get personalized recommendations
• Receive medication delivered to your home
• Ongoing access to your medical provider for questions

All compounds are made in the USA at 503B facilities, ensuring quality control. Duhamel’s partner, Fabian Calvo, also owns pharmaceutical compounding companies, giving them direct oversight of manufacturing.

The company is even working to onshore more raw materials currently sourced from China and India, with plans to manufacture in business-friendly North Dakota.

Hollywood’s Secret Anti-Aging Protocols

When asked about the most “unhinged” things he’s seen celebrities do for anti-aging, Duhamel had clear warnings.

Don’t fuck with your face too much. You’re beautiful. Little things here and there, yes, but don’t go too far with it. Especially guys. Guys, you got to be careful about getting too much work done your face because it doesn’t look good.

He also cautioned about GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy.

While effective for weight loss, they can leave people looking gaunt if not paired with proper nutrition and resistance training.

Be careful with the GLP ones. Because you can really get too skinny and it’s not attractive. So I see some of that where I’m like, you were better when you were a little overweight.

Gatlin Health offers GLP-1 medications but with comprehensive medical guidance to ensure clients maintain muscle mass and overall health.

The Spiritual Connection to Physical Health

The conversation took an unexpected turn into spirituality and consciousness. Duhamel asked about ayahuasca and profound spiritual experiences.

Asprey, who first tried ayahuasca in Peru in 1999, explained that similar states can be achieved through breathwork without psychedelics.

He described his most powerful spiritual experience happening during a Joe Dispenza retreat using only breathwork techniques.

The key insight: when your body is working optimally, you’re more spiritually connected.

Chemical, electrical, or hormonal imbalances in the body create static that interferes with deeper connection—to yourself, your family, and higher consciousness.

If I’m connected spiritually, I am way more healthy in my body. I’m much more mentally fit. And I think all these things are intertangled in some way.

Duhamel shared that he’s Catholic and also attends a Presbyterian church with his family, finding profound connection through music and community worship.

Nootropics: The Brain Optimization Nobody Talks About

Duhamel revealed he’s experienced terrifying episodes of memory loss on set, unable to remember lines during crucial scenes.

I used to have episodes that terrified me because I would go to I’d go into places where I completely lost my I couldn’t remember the line no matter what. And there it’s it’s like you’re drowning.

Asprey recommended two cognitive enhancers that transformed his own brain function:

• Aniracetam – The only drug shown to increase memory input and output, ideal for actors
• Modafinil – Originally for narcolepsy, it enhances focus and cognitive resilience

Asprey has been taking modafinil for 25 years and credits it with helping him complete his MBA at Wharton.

He recently tested in the top 99.999% for cognitive resilience despite having ADHD, autism, and experiencing significant brain fog in his 20s.

Fatherhood in Your 50s: A Different Path

Both men were born just four days apart in November 1972—Asprey in North Dakota, Duhamel in Albuquerque.

But their parenting timelines couldn’t be more different.

Asprey’s kids are 19 and 17. Duhamel is changing diapers for a 3-month-old while potty training a toddler.

All my friends say the same thing. They’re all sending their kids off to college or have or becoming grandparents and I here I am still changing baby diapers. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Duhamel had his first child at 40, then met his wife Audra and had two more children at 50 and 53.

His wife, who’s 32, wanted five children so they’d be surrounded by family in their later years.

Importantly, Duhamel was on testosterone when he conceived his younger children, debunking the myth that testosterone therapy causes permanent infertility.

Asprey emphasized this is well-known in bodybuilding and acting circles—men can cycle on and off testosterone while maintaining fertility with proper post-cycle therapy.

The Baby Smell That Lowers Your Testosterone

In a fascinating evolutionary biology tangent, Asprey revealed that simply smelling babies lowers men’s testosterone levels.

Research suggests this may be nature’s way of making men less aggressive and more nurturing around infants.

Combined with sleep deprivation and the stress of new parenthood, testosterone can plummet during these years.

This creates a challenging cycle: men naturally experience lower testosterone around babies, but they also need energy and patience to be good fathers.

Maintaining healthy testosterone levels through this period allows men to be better providers and more present parents.

Stem Cells, Peptides, and the Future of Regeneration

Both men have experimented extensively with regenerative medicine. Asprey has had bone marrow extracted twice for stem cell therapy.

He’s received stem cell injections in every joint, his face, scalp for hair restoration, and reproductive organs.

Duhamel has tried stem cell therapy for hair once and plans to repeat the treatment. He noted the scalp injections are painful but potentially worth it for hair preservation.

Gatlin Health also offers peptide therapy, another frontier in longevity medicine.

But Duhamel issued a strong warning about sourcing:

Be very careful where you’re getting your stuff, your peptides. The stuff is it works. It’s not snake oil. But make sure you know where you’re getting it from because guys are compounding the stuff in the back of their vans.

Some peptides come from the same Chinese factories that produced fentanyl. Quality control and verified sourcing are critical.

Stage Fright, Trolls, and Forgiveness

Duhamel admitted he no longer reads comments or engages with trolls, having learned this leads him to respond too aggressively.

I also have this character defect that causes me to if I feel disrespected I’ll try to go back twice as hard. And I just don’t want to do that.

Asprey shared his own journey with trolls after appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast three times.

He experienced a coordinated campaign from thousands of trolls that deeply affected him until he recognized it as triggering old wounds from childhood bullying.

Through forgiveness work, he released the emotional charge and now views trolls as simply “stuck in fifth grade.”

Both men emphasized that forgiveness—letting go of grudges—is essential for accessing higher levels of consciousness and performance.

The Bottom Line: You’re Doing Life Wrong

Asprey’s message to listeners was unambiguous:

If you’re not aware of your testosterone levels, you are doing life wrong. It is so cheap to do this and if it’s low, it’s why you have anxiety and you’re tired and you’re cranky.

Duhamel built an entire company around making this knowledge and treatment accessible because he believes men deserve to feel like themselves for as long as possible.

Men and women for that matter deserve an opportunity to be optimized for much longer than we ever thought we could be. Especially when the stuff is there and it’s all medically backed and and the science is there.

The science is clear, the treatments are available, and the benefits extend far beyond the gym.

From being a present father to maintaining cognitive sharpness to staying connected to purpose and spirituality—hormone optimization touches every aspect of life.

Duhamel refused to let Hollywood’s image concerns prevent him from shining a light on something that could genuinely change men’s lives.

And in his own journey from struggling with low testosterone to feeling stronger at 53 than at 33, he’s become living proof that it’s never too late to optimize your health.

Sources

• JAMA (2013) – Testosterone therapy and cardiovascular events study
• PLOS ONE (2014) – Increased cardiovascular risk with testosterone therapy
• The Lancet Healthy Longevity (2022) – Meta-analysis on testosterone and cardiovascular risk
• Therapeutic Advances in Urology (2018) – Review on testosterone therapy effects on mood and quality of life