Longevity News: Older men may not live as long if they have low testosterone

According to new research being done by the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, low levels of testosterone may increase the long-term risk of death in men over 50 years old. The new study found that men with low testosterone levels had a 33 percent greater risk of death during the next 18 years than the men with higher testosterone. The difference in mortality was not explained by smoking, drinking, physical activity level or pre-existing diseases (such as diabetes or heart disease).

While the study lends support to the belief that supplemental hormone therapy may help older men with low testosterone levels, those who practice weight control and increase their physical activity may also live longer.

"It’s very possible that lifestyle determines what level of testosterone a patient has," commented principal investigator, Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, M.D., UCSD Distinguished Professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and chief of the Division of Epidemiology. "It may be possible to alter the testosterone level by lowering obesity."

Men with low testosterone were more likely to have elevated markers of inflammation, called inflammatory cytokines, which contribute to many diseases. Another characteristic that distinguished the men with low testosterone was a larger waist girth along with a cluster of cardiovascular and diabetes risk factors related to this type of fat accumulation. Men with low testosterone are three times more likely to have the metabolic syndrome than men with higher testosterone levels; metabolic syndrome is the name for the presence of three or more of these risk factors:

* waist measurement more than 40 inches in men
* low HDL (good) cholesterol
* high triglycerides (levels of fat in the blood)
* high blood pressure
* high blood glucose (blood sugar)

While science continues to work on medicinal cures for various health conditions, studies continue to show the importance of proper lifestyle practices, especially weight management and exercise.

Source: University of California, San Diego press release via EurekAlert