- Supplements: Testosterone will not make you younger or more macho
Beware of excess testosterone. Having high levels of this hormone increases the risk of developing breast and endometrial cancer in women and prostate in men, according to a study published in Nature Medicine . The work also indicates that presenting high levels of testosterone increases the risk of metabolic diseases (such as type 2 diabetes) among women, while decreasing it in the case of men.
Directed by researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Exeter, this is the most complete research carried out to date on the impact that genetics has on the levels of circulating testosterone in both men and women.
The scientists conducted a DNA study of 425,097 individuals, which led them to identify 2,571 variants associated with differences in testosterone levels. Then, they checked the association in additional studies.
To take another step in their work, they wanted to see the effect that high levels of testosterone had on certain health problems. And they found that, in women, presenting high levels of testosterone due to certain genetic variations increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 37% and polycystic ovarian syndrome by 51% . However, the scientists also noted that high testosterone levels also reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes in men by 14%.
The analysis also showed that high levels of this hormone significantly increased the chances of developing breast and endometrial cancer in women and prostate in men.
"Our studies provide a unique view on the impact that testosterone has on the disease. And, in particular, they emphasize the importance of considering men and women separately in the studies, since we have seen opposite effects on, for example, diabetes, "the researchers say in a statement that they also ask for caution before using their results as a justification for the use of testosterone supplements. "It is necessary to do similar studies on the impact of testosterone on other diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases," they conclude.
The use of testosterone supplements has been associated with an increase in hematocrit (proportion of red blood cells present in the blood) and blood pressure, as well as problems such as edema or the appearance of signs of body feminization, among others.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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