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| Science & Technology |
| Large study shows testosterone therapy reduces diabetes risk in men |
| 2020-12-18 |
| [New Atlas] As males age they experience a natural and gradual decline in testosterone, and research has established a relationship between low levels of the hormone and increased incidence of type 2 diabetes. In what is described as the largest study of testosterone treatment ever carried out, scientists have found regular injections of the hormone appeared to lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Low testosterone levels in men, known as male hypogonadism or testosterone deficiency syndrome, can lead to a range of negative health outcomes, such as decreased sexual function, depression and decreases in muscle and bone mass. Research has also uncovered associations between low testosterone levels and obesity in men, and found that higher testosterone levels can reduced the risk of diabetes in men. In fact, around a third of men with type 2 diabetes have hypogonadism, so scientists have begun to explore how testosterone therapy could reduce the risk, with some promising results. A new study led by Australia's University of Adelaide is claimed to be the largest ever carried out on the subject, enlisting more than 1,000 men between the age of 50 and 74 who were either overweight or obese. These subjects were divided into two groups, with one receiving injections of testosterone every three months and the other receiving a placebo. In addition, all were given access to a WW (formerly Weight Watchers) lifestyle program, with 30 percent of men across both groups attending the meetings and 70 percent achieving the recommended amount of exercise. Over the two-year study, both groups lost an average of around 4 kg (8.8 lb), while the most common adverse side effect of the testosterone therapy was an increase in red blood cells, which heightens the potential for clotting and "sludgy blood." This was seen in 22 percent of the men undergoing the testosterone treatment. After two years, 21 percent of men in the placebo group had type 2 diabetes, while only 12 percent of men in the group receiving testosterone injections had developed the disease. This group also exhibited a greater decrease in fasting blood sugar levels, small improvements in sexual function and an increase in muscle mass. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #3 Type 2 diabetes is usually thought to be inversely correlated with prostate cancer. It might actually be that it is lower incidence in type 2 diabetics because they have lower testosterone. |
| Posted by: Phinegum Cheagum9635 2020-12-18 22:10 |
| #2 Also, testosterone contributes to icky maleness and that must be stopped. /s |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2020-12-18 11:11 |
| #1 They never did say whether the testosterone treatments did to persons with predisposed or early stage prostate cancers. Additional testosterone is supposed to be like throwing gasoline on a fire in such conditions. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2020-12-18 08:07 |