This is a recently published study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
What Did the Study Explore?
- Meta analysis of 11 major prospective cohort studies
- They were followed for 5 years — median age of the men were 49-76; over 20,000 men were studied from North America, Europe, and Australia
- Looked at testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, luteinizing hormone, DHT, and estradiol
- Measurements were done with mass spectrometry (commercial immunoassays are inaccurate for measurements of these sex steroids in men who have low serum concentrations of the two metabolites of testosterone)
How Does Low Testosterone Affect Mortality?
Low serum testosterone levels at baseline were associated with a higher risk for all cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.
- Analysis accounted for potential confounders (age, BMI, marital status, alcohol, smoking, exercise, high blood pressure, diabetes, creatining concentration, HDL /LDL ration, and lipid medication use).
- Testosterone concentrations below 7.4 had a higher risk for all cause mortality.
- Men with testosterone below 5.3 had a higher risk for cardiovascular disease mortality.
- This higher risk was not dependent on their levels of LH.
- If associated with normal or high SHBG, they had increased mortality risk.
The other hormones:
- Lower SHBG associated with LOWER all cause and CVD mortality
- LH above 10 IU/L and estradiol below 5.1 pmol/L were linked with HIGHER all cause mortality
- DHT had a U-shaped relationship with mortality risk- too high or too low was bad.
How Can Biohackr Health Help?
We do hormone testing and hormone pelleting for men. Please see our page. This is a super popular part of our clinic and the results on how you feel — energy and muscle, sexual health and libido, and more — are great.
Knowing low testosterone is associated with increased mortality can be an even bigger motivator.
