BTP/CORE New England
Men’s Health Centers
920 Washington Street
Norwood, MA 02062
www.BostonTestosterone.com
781.269.5953

Studies over and over show that low hormones are deleterious to ones health. When levels are off, one strives to correct the same. If cholesterol levels are high, you lower. If thyroid levels are high or low, you correct them. And, likewise, if hormones levels are off, you balance and optimize them.

This study shows that men aged 20–79 who have low testosterone levels below 8.7 nmol/L (250 ng/dL) have a more than two-fold increased risk of mortality from all causes, compared with those with higher serum testosterone levels. This risk is independent of age, waist circumference, smoking habits, high-risk alcohol use, and physical activity.

Background

The association of low serum testosterone levels with mortality has gained strength in recent research. However, there are few population-based studies on this association.
Objective
This study examined whether low serum testosterone levels are a risk factor for all-cause or cause-specific mortality in a population-based sample of men aged 20–79.

Methods

We used data from 1954 men recruited for the prospective population-based Study of Health in Pomerania, with measured serum testosterone levels at baseline and 195 deaths during an average 7.2-year follow-up.

A total serum testosterone level of less than 8.7 nmol/L (250 ng/dL) was classified as low.

The relationships of low serum testosterone levels with all-cause and cause-specific mortality were analysed by Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Results

Men with low serum testosterone levels had a significantly higher mortality from all causes than men with higher serum testosterone levels (HR 2.24; 95% CI 1.41–3.57).

After adjusting for waist circumference, smoking habits, high-risk alcohol use, physical activity, renal insufficiency, and levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), low serum testosterone levels continued to be associated with increased mortality (HR 2.32; 95% CI 1.38–3.89).

In cause-specific analyses, low serum testosterone levels predicted increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD) (HR 2.56; 95% CI 1.15–6.52) and cancer (HR 3.46; 95% CI 1.68–6.68), but not from respiratory diseases or other causes.

Conclusion

Low serum testosterone levels were associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality independent of numerous risk factors. As serum testosterone levels are inversely related to mortality due to CVD and cancer, it may be used as a predictive marker to improve the ability to predict health risks.

Reference:
Low serum testosterone levels are associated with increased risk of mortality in a population-based cohort of men aged 20-79.
Haring R, Völzke H, Steveling A, Krebs A, Felix SB, Schöfl C, Dörr M, Nauck M, Wallaschofski H.
Eur Heart J. 2010 Jun;31(12):1494-501

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164245

Boston Testosterone Partners
BTP/CORE New England
Men’s Health Centers
920 Washington Street
Norwood, MA 02062
www.BostonTestosterone.com
781.269.5953

As leading Harvard Medical Doctors have been telling us for years, Testosterone Replacement Therapy does not cause cancer.

Men who undergo testosterone replacement therapy due to a drop in testosterone levels might not be at an increased risk of getting prostate cancer as previously thought, a new study from the U.K. suggests.

Researchers looked at nearly 1,400 men receiving testosterone replacement therapy for up to 20 years, and found that 14 cases of prostate cancer developed over the study period.

That number equates to one prostate cancer diagnosis yearly per 212 men; in the general population of U.K. men between ages 65 and 69, rates have been reported to be slightly less than one in 200 per year.

“This myth about testosterone replacement therapy being linked to prostate cancer has been rooted deep in medical consciousness for over 60 years,” said study co-author, Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, medical director at the Center for Men’s Health in London. “But this paper says no, testosterone treatment is actually good for the prostate, not bad.”

The study was published online June 6 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Aging men sometimes experience “andropause”

Testosterone Levels vary greatly among men, but generally tend to drop with aging, sometimes causing them to experience a so-called “andropause.”

But unlike female menopause, which happens to all women as they age, not all men lose testosterone as they age, and the condition can also be overlooked, since the drop in hormone is gradual.

According to the Mayo Clinic , however, by age 70, a man’s testosterone level can drop by as much as 50 percent.

With the drop, men can experience a number of symptoms, including reduced sexual desire, fatigue, depression, bone loss and increased body fat.

Testosterone replacement therapy can reverse these symptoms.

“Evidence is rapidly accumulating that, not only is testosterone treatment important in maintaining a man’s vitality and virility over the age of 50,” Carruthers said, “but also in the treatment of a wider range of serious physical and mental illnesses.”

But that may not always be the case when it comes to men who have already been treated for prostate cancer, according to Dr. Paul Nguyen, a radiation oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

“About 230,000 men a year are diagnosed with prostate cancer, and for those who have low testosterone after treatment, whether it’s safe to treat them with testosterone remains a big issue,” he said.

Testosterone treatment could improve quality of life

Researchers looked at 1,365 men participating in the ongoing U.K. Androgen Study. The men were treated with testosterone for at least three months for up to 20 years.

The researchers calculated that for every 10 men taking testosterone for 21 years, one would develop prostate cancer. In most cases, the cancer was detected with a test of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein that suggests the presence of prostate cancer when found at high levels.

Based on study results, the researchers said that testosterone treatment is safe when carefully monitored.

As always, a larger study with longer follow-up would make doctors feel even more confident, Nguyen said. But he added the study was reassuring because of its size.

“For people with low testosterone who are thinking about getting treatment, this study helps to reduce the concern,” Nguyen said.

“So, it gives them the freedom to pursue this treatment, which can improve their quality of life.”

Pass it on: Testosterone treatment may not increase risk of prostate cancer.

Boston Testosterone is a Testosterone Replacement, Wellness and Preventative Medicine Medical Center that treats and prevents the signs and symptoms associated with Andropause and hormone imbalances. With affiliates nationally, Boston Testosterone offers hormone replacement therapy, weight loss protocols, erectile dysfunction (ED), Sermorelin-GHRP2 therapy and neutraceutical injectable therapies for men and women. Their medical facilities offer physician examinations and treatment programs that incorporate the latest in medical science.

“The Greatest Health of Your Life” ℠

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855.617.MEDS (6337)/781-269-5953

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By Linda Thrasybule, My Health News Daily