Testosterone is an important male hormone that helps build muscles, increases energy, and supports s**ual function.
Sometimes, doctors also prescribe testosterone supplements to men who have a condition called hypogonadism, where the body doesn’t make enough testosterone. These treatments can help improve strength, mood, and energy levels.
But now, new research from the University of Cambridge suggests that having too much testosterone in the blood could actually be harmful, particularly for the heart.
The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, shows that high levels of testosterone may raise the risk of coronary artery disease in men.
Coronary artery disease happens when the blood vessels that supply the heart become narrowed or blocked which can cause serious problems like heart attacks or heart failure.
In recent years, testosterone supplements have become more popular, not just for medical reasons, but also because many younger men believe these products can boost their physical performance and slow down aging.
Social media and advertising have played a big role in encouraging this trend but scientists are concerned that not enough is known about the long-term effects of high testosterone levels.
To better understand the risks, researchers used a method called Mendelian randomization, which uses genetic information to study how certain traits, like hormone levels, might affect the risk of disease.
The team looked at genetic data from over 400,000 people in the UK Biobank and more than 1 million people in another large study called CARDIoGRAMplusC4D.
They searched for genetic differences that lead to higher levels of testosterone in the blood and then checked to see if these people had a higher or lower chance of developing heart disease.
The results were clear: Men with genes that lead to higher testosterone levels had a 17% greater risk of getting coronary artery disease while an average man has about a 7.3% chance of developing this kind of heart disease during his life.
Additionally, in this new study, there was no strong link found between testosterone and heart disease risk in women.
Emily Morbey, a Ph.D. student at the University of Cambridge and one of the lead researchers, said that “more and more men are using testosterone supplements, often without medical advice.”
She then proceeded to warn that while “the hormone can be helpful when there’s a real medical reason to use it, taking it just to feel stronger or more energetic might actually increase the risk of heart problems.”
This study gives us a rather clear picture of how testosterone affects the heart. It shows that while testosterone supplements can be helpful in certain cases, using them without medical need might do more harm than good.