Men with higher testosterone levels, are more at risk of getting a heart attack or other cardiovascular diseases in the future compared with men with normal testosterone levels. According to a large-scale studiy in the United States which is served in the 92nd Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego, United States, these findings is the oppisite with previous smaller studies.
“The study finding contradicts smaller studies that have shown that testosterone levels are not associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease,” said presenting author Kristen Sueoka, MD, a resident physician at the University of California, San Francisco.
Sueoka said that currently most people use testosterone supplements for various health problems, such as low sexual drive or heart disorders. “These men may unknowingly be placing themselves at higher risk for cardiovascular disease,” she said.
This study was conducted on 697 men aged 65 years none of them were undergoing testosterone therapy. The researchers divided respondents into four testosterone range groups.
Researchers did not divide the group into men with normal and abnormal testosterone levels because the definition of abnormal depends on many factors, including age.
Type of heart disease which has a potential to suffer are blood vessel constriction, blockage of coronary arteries (atherosclerosis), coronary heart disease, unstable angina, and chest pain due to atherosclerosis that usually need bypass surgery.
After nearly four years, 100 people (14 percent) were found to have coronary disease, especially heart attacks. By considering other potential risk factors like high cholesterol, researchers found higher levels of testosterone are associated with increased risk of coronary disease.
Men with total testosterone in the highest group (495 nanograms per deciliter) had a risk of coronary heart disease doubled compared with the lowest group (below 308 nanograms per deciliter).
“One day testosterone measurements may be used to help predict which men are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease,” she said. “But we need more studies to confirm that high testosterone is a risk factor for heart disease.”
SOURCE: MedicMagic
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