Low Testosterone "death risk"

[Paolo]

Low testosterone 'death risk'

Low levels of testosterone may increase the risk of death in men over the age of 50, US research suggests. A study of 800 men over 50 found that those with low levels had a 33% increased risk of death over an 18-year period than those with higher levels.

At a Toronto meeting of The Endocrine Society, researchers said they did not recommend taking supplements.

Experts warn there could be side effects and say men should keep active to help maintain testosterone levels.

The study participants, who were aged between 50 and 91, have been taking part in a chronic disease study in California since the 1970s.

Levels of testosterone were classified as low if they were at the lower limit of the normal range for young adult men.

Testosterone gives you a zing, if you have low testosterone it tends to make you less active

Professor Richard Sharpe

Testosterone levels decline with age but there is wide variation. In the study, 29% of the men had low levels of the hormone.

The higher risk of death in men with low testosterone levels could not be explained by smoking, drinking, physical activity level or pre-existing diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.

Metabolic syndrome

However, the researchers did note that men with lower testosterone levels were three times more likely to have a cluster of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Collectively known as "metabolic syndrome", the risk factors include waist measurement over 40in, high levels of cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar.

Study author Dr Gail Laughlin, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, said: "Our study strongly suggests that the association between testosterone levels and death is not simply due to some acute illness".

She added that lifestyle may determine testosterone levels and that it may be possible to alter levels by lowering obesity.

Co-author Professor Elizabeth Barrett-Connor said it was not being recommended that men should go out and buy testosterone supplements.

"Maybe the decline in testosterone is healthy and comes with older age," she said.

"Maybe the decline is bad and associated with chronic diseases of ageing."

'Keep active'

Professor Richard Sharpe, from the MRC Human Reproductive Sciences Unit in Edinburgh, said the results were particularly important because studies had shown levels of testosterone in men of all ages were falling.

"The other important thing about this study is the association with metabolic syndrome. Being obese lowers the available testosterone and that makes you more obese so it's a vicious cycle.

"Testosterone gives you a zing, if you have low testosterone it tends to make you less active."

He said the use of testosterone supplements was a very contentious theory because of potential side effects.

"Instead you should adapt your lifestyle, to keep your body in shape and make the best of your testosterone.

"Men assume they're just getting older when they get a gut but keeping a good body shape will help maintain your testosterone levels."

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/h ... 723723.stm

Published: 2007/06/05 23:00:14 GMT

© BBC MMVII

[JesusA (imported)]

The first, and most important, thing to keep in mind is that correlation does not equal cause.

If two things are consistently found together, one MAY cause the other, or both may be caused by something entirely different.

The only study that I know of that comes close to a controlled comparison is of institutionalized mental patients in Kansas. Early in the last century many were castrated to calm them down. Comparison with a matched set of institutionalized mental patients who were not castrated had the eunuchs living several years longer.

The animal analogues would have eunuchs living longer as well.

We need better CONTROLLED research to answer the question. Until then, take reports like this with a very large grain of salt....

[Paolo]

Hey, it's from the BBC, I just reposted it.

[devi (imported)]

Well, here I am closing in on fifty years old and I've had low testosterone all of my life. --Not dead yet. But then maybe there is a reason why my cat gets up on top of my chest while I'm still in bed and purrs away. Could it be that she is happy and relieved that I am still alive and kicking? But then the question after that becomes exactly for what reason would she be happy that I am still alive? Perhaps it could be that I have succeeded in convincing at least one solitary creature upon the face of this earth that I am an alright person after all inducing good karma in the hereafter. --(Or it could be that I haven't put cat food in the dish yet inducing bad karma in the hereafter.) But for sure some of these studies I just don't know about. Not too long ago chocolate was considered to be bad for you and certainly nobody would eat the dark semisweet chocolate in any given holiday candy mix EXCEPT FOR ME and I would get them all and preferred even preferred it. Yes. And wicked person that I am I would even go get those semisweet baking chips at the grocery store since they didn't have the chocolate bars that I was looking for and snack on them all the time. Nowadays even the health food stores carry all those kinds of chocolates that at one time had been considered bad for you but now which are considered good for your heart. Plus all those hot sauces, picante sauces and chili peppers that I would totally smother my eggs with (that I can't normally digest) and that also I would smother other things with and had been told that they were supposed to rot out my teeth and give me hemeroids. Well I have never had a dental cavity even to this day plus I have just read the other day that people who eat all that hot stuff actually have much less hemeroids than others who don't. And I may have a lot of different pains in my butt but hemeroids just ain't one of them and for all I know I may just end up living as long as all those "ignorant" old folks that I knew of in my youth that would eat a lot of the stuff that were considered to be bad for you (such as hot peppers and chocolates) due to a bunch of MISGUIDED "STUDIES" from the medical profession. And as far as testosterone is concerned you may find that somehow it does seem to induce certain types of behavior in a lot of people leading to black eyes, bloody noses, broken bones and teeth (especially when combined with alcohol), or else an ultra-pressured lifestyle with lots of big toys and big tits that they just cannot seem to enjoy (because you see them wanting more more and taking antidepressant medication all the time) or else they may have an early heart attack while doing an early morning run in order to look as buff as they can. --Just from testosterone. So much for testosterone.

[Hash (imported)]

I would say that there are so many variables and differences in men, that it would be hard for me to accept the results of this study. For example, I have high cholesterol, runs in my family, so even though I purposely keep my testosterone low, I must maintain a healthy weight and watch what I eat. No high fat foods for me. Another man/eunuch might have some other genetic or familial problem that he must deal with. The one consistent thing about eunuchs is that we are predisposed to adding fat to our bodies, and that does take work to keep off. My current weight is 222lb's. At 6' that's not bad, but I want to get down to 210. So my advice to all eunuchs and wannabee eunuchs, "keep the fat off or take the fat off," which is what everyone is being told to do. P.S. Wouldn't it be great if taking the fat off our bodies was as easy as taking off ones testicles?

[curious_guy (imported)]

Well, here I am closing in on fifty years old and I've had low testosterone all of my life. --Not dead yet. But then maybe there is a reason why my cat gets up on top of my chest while I'm still in bed and purrs away.

Cats are genetically programmed to "think" that sitting on someone makes them dominate over that person. Purring is a cat's primary way of training humans. I am also owned by a cat. He (it? he is a eunuch) is laying on my left shoulder and purring while I type this.

[devi (imported)]

Yes, I was adopted by a stray cat that wandered in and took posession of my home. But I guess it was too empty most of the time or something therefore considered abandoned. And since the place now belongs to my cat I now have no choice but to take care of her in order to be able to have a warm place to sleep at night. But as long as this cat allows me to come in during the evening I suppose I'm alright.

[sag111 (imported)]

Well for me I look forward to death not that I want it so bad as to take my own life .But I dont worry eather so being a eunuch dosent bother me and neather dose this study.You know folks thies things can be misconstruded to make them say what they want them to say.Hay it did say 50 to 90 didnt it and how many 90 year old men do you know well most are dead arnt they.Not that their isent some trouth in this but wouldent have been better to lets say 50 to 70.Just a thought

[Paolo]

Considering the fact that SAG111 is still alive, this must be a very inaccurate report.

[mrt (imported)]

I guess its clear that I'm pro "T" (therefore Mr T) and because of that I'm part of several support groups for men who need Testosterone (For Hypogonadism etc) and the UK group is up in arms at the mindset that Testosterone is not important. That eating better and working out is lifes answer to every medical problem. Frankly while I agree that eating balanced meals and doing regular activities is good its just iodicy to think it will help a guy who has defective testicles. *For example.

In the US we talk about our screwed up health system but we have a long way to go to get to the level of crappyness that they have managed to achieve in the UK or Canada. All they have done is "Rationed" health care. Imagine wanting to get a simple problem taken care of and be told 6 months waiting time? And the cost of meds. Its lower (I understand) because the patient pays for it up front. No co pays? I'm trying to figure out how I would pay rent or eat if I paid for my drugs with cash.

Anyway my impression is that they have a goal to make all health problems be solved without Doctors or meds. How else can it work?

Our system is the worst in the world. Except all the others.

Low testosterone 'death risk'

Low levels of testosterone may increase the risk of death in men over the age of 50, US research suggests. A study of 800 men over 50 found that those with low levels had a 33% increased risk of death over an 18-year period than those with higher levels.

At a Toronto meeting of The Endocrine Society, researchers said they did not recommend taking supplements.

Experts warn there could be side effects and say men should keep active to help maintain testosterone levels.

The study participants, who were aged between 50 and 91, have been taking part in a chronic disease study in California since the 1970s.

Levels of testosterone were classified as low if they were at the lower limit of the normal range for young adult men.

Testosterone gives you a zing, if you have low testosterone it tends to make you less active

Professor Richard Sharpe

Testosterone levels decline with age but there is wide variation. In the study, 29% of the men had low levels of the hormone.

The higher risk of death in men with low testosterone levels could not be explained by smoking, drinking, physical activity level or pre-existing diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.

Metabolic syndrome

However, the researchers did note that men with lower testosterone levels were three times more likely to have a cluster of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Collectively known as "metabolic syndrome", the risk factors include waist measurement over 40in, high levels of cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar.

Study author Dr Gail Laughlin, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, said: "Our study strongly suggests that the association between testosterone levels and death is not simply due to some acute illness".

She added that lifestyle may determine testosterone levels and that it may be possible to alter levels by lowering obesity.

Co-author Professor Elizabeth Barrett-Connor said it was not being recommended that men should go out and buy testosterone supplements.

"Maybe the decline in testosterone is healthy and comes with older age," she said.

"Maybe the decline is bad and associated with chronic diseases of ageing."

'Keep active'

Professor Richard Sharpe, from the MRC Human Reproductive Sciences Unit in Edinburgh, said the results were particularly important because studies had shown levels of testosterone in men of all ages were falling.

"The other important thing about this study is the association with metabolic syndrome. Being obese lowers the available testosterone and that makes you more obese so it's a vicious cycle.

"Testosterone gives you a zing, if you have low testosterone it tends to make you less active."

He said the use of testosterone supplements was a very contentious theory because of potential side effects.

"Instead you should adapt your lifestyle, to keep your body in shape and make the best of your testosterone.

"Men assume they're just getting older when they get a gut but keeping a good body shape will help maintain your testosterone levels."

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/h ... 723723.stm

Published: 2007/06/05 23:00:14 GMT

© BBC MMVII