Among men with prediabetes and low testosterone levels, taking testosterone may help improve blood lipid (cholesterol and triglyceride) levels and body composition, according to a new study published in the journal Andrology.
For many men, testosterone levels decline with age, and this decline may have an impact on several different aspects of health. Diabetes is one of these areas — in fact, one study showed that for men with low testosterone, taking testosterone can lead to remission of type 2 diabetes (having normal blood glucose levels without taking any glucose-lowering drugs). Testosterone therapy has also been linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and it may reduce the risk for certain types of cancer as well. Testosterone isn’t a miracle elixir, though — one study showed that when it came to blood vessel health in middle-aged men, exercise was found to be helpful, while testosterone therapy was not. While you may not be able to raise very low testosterone levels significantly without taking testosterone, one study showed that eating more fat may help boost borderline-low testosterone levels in men.
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The relationship between testosterone and metabolic health
For the latest study, researchers used a number of different data sources to look at the relationship between low testosterone, prediabetes, and metabolic health and body composition. In one set of eight different studies that included a total of 3,625 participants with impaired fasting glucose (prediabetes) and 6,205 without impaired fasting glucose, they found that having impaired fasting glucose was linked to a 3 nmol/L lower average testosterone level and an 80% higher risk for low testosterone. When the researchers looked at various metabolic and body measurements, they found that participants’ waist size and body-mass index (BMI, a measure of body weight that takes height into account) were the best predictors of having reduced testosterone levels.
In a separate group of 229 men with prediabetes and low testosterone with an average age of 58.2, the researchers found that a form of testosterone therapy (called long-acting injectable T undecanoate) was linked to improved blood glucose control. While 90% of participant who received testosterone therapy reached normal blood glucose control as shown by an A1C level (a measure of long-term blood glucose control) below 5.7%, among those who didn’t receive the therapy 40.2% went on to develop type 2 diabetes. What’s more, participants who received testosterone therapy showed significant improvement in waist size, BMI, and body weight, as well as fasting glucose, total cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or “good”) cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein, or “bad”) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
“It is our opinion that the combined approach of [testosterone therapy] and lifestyle changes should be used” in men with low testosterone and sexual dysfunction “to better motivate patients to perform physical activity eventually resulting in weight loss and sexual function improvement,” the researchers wrote. More studies are needed, though, to find out whether testosterone therapy can help prevent type 2 diabetes in men with prediabetes.
Want to learn more about prediabetes? Read “What Is Prediabetes? Symptoms, Treatment, and More,” “Prediabetes Treatment” and “Diabetes Prevention: Eat to Beat Diabetes.”
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