Study: Testosterone Therapy Does Not Raise Risk for Heart Attack and Stroke in Healthy Men
Healthy men on testosterone supplementation therapy are not at increased risk for heart attack or stroke, according to new research.
In fact, testosterone might reduce such risk in these men.
Testosterone is an important hormone that contributes much to a man’s masculinity. It’s responsible for his deeper voice, facial hair, and muscle mass. It’s also critical for his sex drive and ability to get erections.
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Study: testosterone therapy does not raise risk for heart attack and stroke in healthy men. (Click to tweet)
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As men get older, their testosterone levels start to gradually decline. Men may start to lose interest in sex. Some feel fatigue, weak, and moody. A doctor might prescribe supplementation therapy to bring testosterone levels back to normal.
However, there have been concerns about the safety of testosterone in light of heart health. Some studies have found an increased risk of heart attack and stroke for men on testosterone. Other studies have found no connection.
Researchers from the Intermountain Heart Institute in Salt Lake City decided to study this further.
They collected data from 1,472 men with low testosterone. The men were between 52 and 63 years old. None of them had a history of heart disease.
Some of the men received 90 days of testosterone therapy, given as either a topical gel or an injection. The dose brought the men’s testosterone up to normal levels. The rest of the men took no testosterone.
The researchers followed the men for one to three years, paying close attention to the men’s heart health.
They found that the men who took testosterone were not at increased risk for heart attack or stroke.
“In fact, testosterone therapy in this population was shown to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and death, when compared to those men who weren’t taking testosterone supplementation,” said researcher Brent Muhlestein, MD, in a news release. Dr. Muhlestein is the co-director of research at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute.
“This particular study provides assurances to physicians and patients that using testosterone replacement therapy in a generally healthy population of men over the age of 50 to normalize levels doesn’t increase a patient’s risk of a heart attack or stroke, and actually shows a reduction in those risks,” Dr. Muhlestein added.
The findings were presented last month at the 2015 American Heart Association Scientific Session in Orlando.
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Resources
Intermountain Healthcare
“New Study Finds Use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy in Healthy Men Does Not Increase Risk of Heart Attack or Stroke”
(News release. November 9, 2015)
https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news/2015/11/use-of-testosterone-replacement-therapy-does-not-increase-risk-of-heart-attack-or-stroke/
Intermountain Heart Institute
“Testosterone Supplementation Among Healthy Hypoandrogenic Men”
(Video. November 9, 2015)
