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By Amy Norton Tue Oct 23, 3:53 PM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older men with low levels of the hormone
testosterone may die sooner than other men their age with normal testosterone
levels, a study suggests.
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Researchers found that among 794 generally healthy older men, those with the
lowest testosterone levels were 40 percent more likely to die within the
1985-2004 study period.
The findings do not mean, however, that older men should start taking
testosterone supplements to achieve a longer life, the study authors are quick
to point out.
The study shows only an association between low testosterone and earlier death
-- not a cause-and-effect relationship, lead author Dr. Gail A. Laughlin told
Reuters Health. What's more, there was no evidence that having above-average
testosterone levels gave men any longevity advantage.
"We cannot recommend that any man take testosterone based on these results,"
Laughlin stressed.
She and her colleagues at the University of California, San Diego, report their
findings in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
In theory, low testosterone could affect older men's longevity through
metabolic effects. Some past studies have found that low testosterone can
precede the development of abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome -- a
collection of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease that includes
obesity, high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels.
In their study, Laughlin and her colleagues found that low testosterone was
associated with abdominal obesity and aspects of the metabolic syndrome, but
when these factors were excluded, low testosterone remained independently
linked to earlier death.
The study included 794 men between 50 and 91 year old (average age 73.6 years)
who were followed for an average of 11.6 years. Overall, the one quarter with
the lowest testosterone levels at study entry were 40 percent more likely to
die over the course of the study than men with higher levels of the hormone.
There is some disagreement among experts on how to define overt testosterone
deficiency, with some saying it should be diagnosed when levels fall below 300
nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) and others advocating lower cutoffs.
There was no evidence in this study that raising older men's testosterone above
300 ng/dL might boost survival, according to Laughlin's team.
This finding offers "no support for widespread testosterone therapy for aging
men," the researchers write.
Indeed, it's unclear whether raising testosterone in men with a clear
deficiency can safely prolong life. Only clinical trials that test hormonal
supplementation against a placebo can answer this question, Laughlin said.