Obese men are more likely than others to have low levels of sex hormone testosterone, claims a new study.
The Hypogonadism in Males (HIM) study was conducted from November 2003 to February 2004 in 95 primary care practices throughout the U.S and involved 2,165 men 45 years or older, of whom 398 were diabetics.
40 percent of the participants were found to have lower-than-normal testosterone readings. The percentage rose to 50 percent among obese men with diabetes.
Results also revealed that as body mass index (BMI) — a relationship of weight-to-height-increased, testosterone levels fell.
“The effect of diabetes on lowering testosterone levels was similar to that of a weight gain of approximately 20 pounds,” says Sandeep Dhindsa, an endocrinology specialist in the UB Department of Medicine and first author on the study.
Many studies all over the world have confirmed the association of low testosterone with diabetes. This is the first to compare prevalence of low testosterone with obesity and diabetes separately and together. The study shows that obesity and diabetes may exert independent influences on testosterone concentrations.
In view of the fact that almost 40% of our Malaysian adult population is either overweight or obese, these observations have profound pathophysiological, clinical, epidemiological and public health implications. CLICK HERE to find what you can do to bring your weight to within healthy limits.
Journal Reference:
S. Dhindsa, M. G. Miller, C. L McWhirter, D. E. Mager, H. Ghanim, A. Chaudhuri, P. Dandona. Testosterone concentrations in diabetic and non-diabetic obese men. Diabetes Care, 2010 Mar 3. [Epub ahead of print]
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