Researchers from Australia and Europe found that the risk of death from any health cause increases by 10% in men who have low levels of testosterone (below normal limits).
Doctors have long drawn attention to the "silent epidemic" of men with severely low testosterone (also called male menopause), which leads to debilitating symptoms, such as erectile dysfunction, depression, anxiety, and excess body fat.
Now, a review of 11 studies including more than 24,000 men has shown how low testosterone affects men's lives.
The research team explained that the normal range of testosterone in men ranges from 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter.
The researchers found that men who have less than 213 ng/dL of testosterone may have an increased risk of death due to any health problem, and men who have less than 153 ng/dL may have an increased risk of death due to heart disease.
The team added that very low testosterone concentrations may also indicate that a person suffers from another health problem, such as diabetes, HIV, autoimmune disease, or excessive alcohol consumption, leading to a higher risk of death.
Testosterone is known as a male sex hormone that is produced in the testicles, and is responsible for developing and maintaining male sexual characteristics, such as the prostate, testicles, and sexual desire, in addition to increasing muscle and bone mass and growing body hair.
There are many reasons why a man may have a low level of this hormone, including damage to the testicles or pituitary gland, obesity, genetic disorders, diabetes, or normal aging.
Testosterone treatment can partially reverse these symptoms.
The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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