Testosterone

and male health

In the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, a new study is reporting that low testosterone in men can mean a shorter life span. This meta-analysis of 11 studies, involved more than 24,000 subjects may be the most definitive done on the subject. The data from this study show that men with low total testosterone concentrations had higher risks for all-cause mortality and that men with testosterone concentrations below 5.3 nmol/L (<153 mg/dL) had an increased risk of cardiovascular death. In addition, the relationship between dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, all-cause and CVD mortality is complex (nonlinear) as both low levels of DHT (below 0.59 nmol/L) and high levels of DHT (above 2.45 nmol/L) had a higher risk for all-cause mortality and/or CVD events.

For years, men have been told just the opposite. That male menopause was natural. That the risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease were too great to augment declining testosterone by dabbling in hormone replacement therapy. Within mainstream media, the sly implication is that there must be something wrong with a man who wishes to maintain reproductive health past a certain age.