PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Low testosterone may be linked to heart problems

Review of past studies found hormone replacement therapy failed to improve cardiovascular health

2013-09-25
(Press-News.org) Chevy Chase, MD—Men who have low testosterone levels may have a slightly elevated risk of developing or dying from heart disease, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Testosterone is a key male sex hormone that helps maintain sex drive, sperm production and bone health. Over time, low testosterone may contribute to an increase in body fat, loss of body hair and muscle bulk.

"When we reviewed the existing research into testosterone and cardiovascular disease, a growing body of evidence suggested a modest connection between the two. A specific pathogenesis did not come forward, but perhaps less frequently investigated events may play a role, such as thrombosis where a blood clot develops in the circulatory system or arrhythmia, where there is a problem with the heart beat or rate," said the study's lead author, Johannes Ruige, MD, PhD, of Ghent University Hospital in Belgium. "Based on current findings, though, we cannot rule out that low testosterone and heart disease both result from poor overall health."

Treating low testosterone with replacement therapy did not have any beneficial effect on cardiovascular health, Ruige said. Although the number of older and middle-aged men who are being prescribed testosterone replacement therapy is rising rapidly, there is debate about whether the practice is too widespread. In its testosterone therapy clinical practice guidelines, The Endocrine Society recommends treating only men who have unequivocally low testosterone levels and consistent symptoms.

The clinical review examined findings from studies on cardiovascular disease and testosterone published between 1970 and 2013. Although the studies suggested some sort of relationship, existing research found little evidence of a connection between low testosterone and artherosclerosis, the hardening and narrowing of arteries that can cause heart attacks and strokes. The reviewed studies also found no relationship between testosterone levels and heart attacks.

Many of the studies had cross-sectional designs that do not provide information about causality, but the review also looked at 19 prospective observational studies that can provide additional information about whether one condition causes another. Because these studies did not completely rule out some potential preceding causes of both low testosterone and cardiovascular disease, additional research is needed to confirm the relationship between the two conditions, Ruige said.

"Gaps still remain in our understanding of low testosterone and cardiovascular disease," he said. "Ultimately, the goal is to more accurately assess the impact testosterone substitution therapy may have on the heart health of men who qualify for the treatment."

###

Other researchers working on the study include D.M. Ouwens and J.-M. Kaufman of Ghent University Hospital.

The article, "Beneficial and Adverse Effects of Testosterone on the Cardiovascular System in Men," was published online, ahead of print.

Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 16,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Society members represent all basic, applied and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at http://www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/EndoMedia.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study findings may explain delayed onset of heart disease in women

2013-09-25
Chevy Chase, MD—A biological ability to compensate for the body's reduced response to insulin may explain why women typically develop heart disease 10 years later than men, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Insulin is a hormone that takes glucose from the bloodstream and carries it into cells, where it is used for energy. When the body doesn't use insulin properly, a condition known as insulin resistance, it raises the risk a person will develop diabetes and cardiovascular ...

NYU Steinhardt researcher pinpoints biological risk factor in obesity-related cancers

2013-09-25
It is estimated that over a third of the new cancer cases expected to occur in the U.S. in 2013 will be related to overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition. Thanks to the work of one NYU Steinhardt researcher, we may better understand why. Nutritional epidemiologist Niyati Parekh's latest research study, which appears in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, concludes that disturbances in body insulin and glucose levels, specifically exposures to longer periods, are associated with an increased risk of obesity-related cancers ...

Link between antidepressants and diabetes risk is real

2013-09-25
Clinicians should be extra vigilant when prescribing antidepressants as they could pose a risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers at the University of Southampton have warned. A systematic review, carried out by the University, showed that people taking antidepressants are at a higher risk of type 2 diabetes; however it is not certain whether the medication is responsible. The use of antidepressant medication has risen sharply over recent years reaching 46.7 million prescriptions issued in the UK in 2011. A number of studies have been carried out to establish whether ...

Oldest existing lizard-like fossil hints at scaly origins

2013-09-25
The fossilised remains of a reptile closely related to lizards are the oldest yet to be discovered. Two new fossil jaws discovered in Vellberg, Germany provide the first direct evidence that the ancestors of lizards, snakes and tuatara (known collectively as lepidosaurs), were alive during the Middle Triassic period – around 240 million years ago. The new fossil finds predate all other lepidosaur records by 12 million years. The findings are published in BMC Evolutionary Biology. The international team of scientists who dated the fossil jaws have provided evidence ...

A neurological basis for the lack of empathy in psychopaths

2013-09-25
When individuals with psychopathy imagine others in pain, brain areas necessary for feeling empathy and concern for others fail to become active and be connected to other important regions involved in affective processing and decision-making, reports a study published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow affect, glibness, manipulation and callousness. Previous research indicates that the rate of psychopathy in prisons is around 23%, greater than the average ...

Acupuncture or counselling plus usual care 'may improve' depression symptoms

2013-09-25
Acupuncture or counselling, provided alongside usual care, could benefit patients with depression, according to a study by researchers at the University of York. The study, conducted by a team led by Dr Hugh MacPherson, of the Department of Health Sciences at York, found that in a primary care setting, combining acupuncture or counselling with usual care had some benefits after three months for patients with recurring depression. Published this week in PLOS Medicine, the study, which also involved researchers from the Centre for Health Economics at York and Hull York ...

A shot of anxiety and the world stinks

2013-09-25
MADISON, Wis. – In evolutionary terms, smell is among the oldest of the senses. In animals ranging from invertebrates to humans, olfaction exerts a primal influence as the brain continuously and subconsciously processes the steady stream of scent molecules that waft under our noses. And while odors – whether the aroma of stinky socks or the sweet smell of baking bread – are known to stir the emotions, how they exert their influence biologically on the emotional centers of the human brain, evoking passion or disgust, has been a black box. Now, however, researchers using ...

Genetic study pushes back timeline for first significant human population expansion

2013-09-25
About 10,000 years ago, the Neolithic age ushered in one of the most dramatic periods of human cultural and technological transition, where independently, different world populations developed the domestication of plants and animals. The hunter-gatherers gave rise to herders and farmers. Changes to a more sedentary lifestyle and larger settlements are widely thought to have contributed to a worldwide human population explosion, from an estimated 4-6 million people to 60-70 million by 4,000 B.C. Now, researchers Aimé, et al., have challenged this assumption using a large ...

UK study shows improvements in life expectancy in type 1 diabetes which should now be reflected in life insurance and other relevant policies for those with the condition

2013-09-25
A study from the UK reveals that, in the population of Scotland, UK, life expectancy for people with type 1 diabetes has improved substantially, and this improvement should now be reflected in life insurance and other relevant policies for those with the condition. The research is by, Professor Helen Colhoun and Shona Livingstone, University of Dundee, UK, and colleagues on behalf of the Scottish Diabetes Research Network, and is presented at this year's annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Barcelona, Spain. "Historically those ...

Study shows social deprivation a key factor in mortality in type 1 diabetes

2013-09-25
Levels of social deprivation, as well as how well a patient controls their blood sugar, is an independent risk factor for mortality in people with type 1 diabetes. These are the findings of new research presented at this year's annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Barcelona, Spain. The research is by the Diabetes Clinical Academic Group at King's Healthcare Partners, UK, and presented by Dr Stephen Thomas, Dept of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT), London. Despite advances in care ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] Low testosterone may be linked to heart problems
Review of past studies found hormone replacement therapy failed to improve cardiovascular health