Dr. Kay-Tee Khaw, professor of clinical gerontology at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine and her colleagues found that men over 40 with low levels of testosterone may be at a higher risk for fatal heart attacks.
The study included over 11,600 men in the 40 to 79 age range who were unafflicted by known heart disease or cancer. The men were divided into four groups based on the blood testosterone levels. The findings were that men with the highest level of testosterone, at least 19.6 nanomoles per liter of blood, had a 41 percent lower risk of dying over the next 10 years than those men with the lowest level of testosterone.
"The magnitude of the effect was very similar to that of [high] cholesterol or blood pressure. We need to replicate these findings," Khaw stated. "We hope we can entice other investigators to look at testosterone levels and see if these findings are confirmed." The main question needing an answer is if low testosterone is a risk factor or just a marker for other risks. Such studies might provide "insights and better understanding of disease mechanisms, such as how and why testosterone might be related to poorer health through, for example, insulin metabolism, lipid metabolism or inflammation," according to Khaw.
Khaw confirmed that more research is needed to determine if testosterone supplements would be of any benefit to men with naturally low levels of the hormone.
[Source: U.S. News]
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