Researchers from Argentina have found a link between diabetic men with low testosterone levels and increased atherosclerosis risk. According to the new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), the journal of the Endocrine Society, diabetic men faces a higher risk of developing atherosclerosis if they also have low testosterone levels compared to diabetic men with higher testosterone levels.
The cross-sectional prospective study involved 115 men with type 2 diabetes. The researchers examined testosterone levels as well as key atherosclerotic markers such as the thickening of the layers inside the carotid artery, presence of plaques, the function of endothelial cells lining the blood vessels and the heart as well as other related inflammatory factors. Al of the participants were younger than 70 and did not have any history of cardiovascular disease. Among the participants, more than half were found to have low testosterone levels.
The study found that diabetic men who had low testosterone levels were six times more likely to experience increased thickness in their carotid artery and endothelium dysfunction. Results indicated that 54 percent of the diabetic men with low testosterone and 10 percent of the men with normal testosterone levels were found to be at high risk for vascular disease.
According to Javier Mauricio Farias, MD, from the Hospital Universitario Sanatorio Guemes in Buenos Aires, Argentina and one of the senior authors of the study, “Our study indicates a strong association between low testosterone concentration and the severity of atherosclerotic plaques as well as other key atherosclerotic markers in middle-aged men with Type 2 diabetes. The results of our study advance our understanding of the interplay between low testosterone and cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes.”
Source: Endocrine Society. (2014, October 16). Diabetic men with low testosterone run higher risk of developing atherosclerosis. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 22, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141016140849.htm
Tags: atherosclerosis risk, Diabetes News, diabetes research, diabetic men, low testosterone, testosterone therapy, type 2 diabetes