Low testosterone linked to 18% higher risk of dying from cancer
Men with very low testosterone face an 18 percent higher risk of dying from cancer later in life, according to findings from the Androgens In Men Study (AIMS) published in Lancet Healthy Longevity. Led by Professor Bu Yeap at The University of Western Australia, the international team analyzed hormone measurements and long-term health records from more than 26,000 men across 11 long-running studies in Australia, Europe, and the United States.
The study identified a key tipping point: cancer risk began to rise once baseline testosterone fell below 8.6 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L). Healthy younger men typically have concentrations between 10 and 30 nmol/L, though levels drop with age and can be influenced by body mass index, exercise, and diabetes. Although the research establishes an association rather than direct causation, low testosterone could serve as an important biomarker, signaling elevated future health risks decades before any diagnosis.
Notably, natural testosterone showed no correlation with prostate cancer risk, an unexpected outcome given that hormone suppression is a standard prostate cancer treatment. Instead, higher prostate cancer risk was linked to low levels of two other reproductive hormones: sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and luteinizing hormone.
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