Low Testosterone

A "very exciting and potentially groundbreaking" preliminary study performed by the University of California, San Diego reported that there may be an increased risk of death for men over the age of 50 who have low testosterone. The "Rancho Bernardo Study" followed 794 relatively healthy men between the ages of 50 and 91 for eighteen years to look at the relationship between mortality and testosterone levels. The findings show a 33% higher risk of dying from any cause in men with low testosterone than those with normal or even elevated levels, regardless of age, lifestyle activities like smoking and drinking, or physical activity.

The researchers are quick to stress, however, that more research (including clinical trials) is needed to prove their findings. When the link between low testosterone and risk of dying was adjusted for the presence of metabolic syndrome and inflammatory conditions (often seen with low androgen levels), it weakened, suggesting that both can also contribute to mortality. More studies are needed to identify which is the culprit: low testosterone, metabolic syndrome, or elevated inflammatory markers. One doctor referred to it as a "chicken and the egg" question: does low testosterone cause inflammation and metabolic syndrome, or do inflammation and metabolic syndrome cause low testosterone? Drs. Mead and Lommen here at Labrix believe, based on years of treating metabolic syndrome patients with testosterone, that this is not a question, but that low testosterone is indeed the culprit.

A similar study conducted last year by researchers at the University of Washington and the Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System showed conclusions comparable to the Rancho Bernardo study. In their study, subjects were younger (40 and older) and in poor health, and had low testosterone levels which were associated with an 88% increased likelihood of death.

It is important to keep in mind that while hormone levels fluctuate throughout the day, these are conclusions drawn from a single daily testosterone reading, which may be misleading. This stresses the importance of collecting multiple samples in one day, in order to average the numbers and get an overall picture of hormone levels. Nonetheless, as studies and research continue to gather convincing data, it is clear that hormone testing is a vital part of routine checkups for men nearing or entering andropause and that testosterone supplementation, when warranted, may not only improve symptoms, but save lives.