Testosterone Levels Tied to Mortality and Cardiovascular Risk in Men: What You Need to Know

New research suggests that men with certain levels of testosterone and related hormones may face increased risks of death from various causes as well as from cardiovascular disease (CVD). This conclusion comes from a broad study synthesizing data collected up to March 2024.

Understanding the Impact of Hormones on Men's Health:

The study, gathering data from a systematic literature review and multiple cohort studies, primarily focused on men living in community settings whose sex hormones were measured using mass spectrometry. Importantly, the research accounted for at least five years of follow-up data.

This analysis targeted individual participant data, encompassing 255,830 participant-years from nine studies and summary estimates from 24,109 individuals across eleven studies. The key hormones investigated included testosterone, sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG), luteinizing hormone (LH), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and estradiol.

Results at a Glance:

Men with the following hormone levels were found to have heightened mortality risks:

• Testosterone levels below 7.4 nmol/L (213 ng/dL)
• LH levels above 10 IU/L
• Estradiol levels below 5.1 pmol/L

Additionally, lower SHBG concentrations correlated with lower all-cause mortality, whereas DHT showed a nonlinear relationship with all-cause and CVD mortality. Notably, men with DHT levels below 0.59 nmol/L faced increased CVD event risk.

The study also acknowledged limitations, including observational design and heterogeneity among studies, that may impact the robustness of these findings.

The Takeaway:

This comprehensive research suggests that very low or very high levels of specific sex hormones can significantly impact health outcomes, predominantly all-cause mortality and CVD risks. That said, the information adds critical insight into what reference ranges of these hormones may be connected with increased health risks in aging men.

For more detailed information and to access the original study, visit [Link to the original text source], and for additional resources on health, go to https://www.buoyhealth.com.