A new study has revealed that visceral fat, which accumulates in the abdominal area, may be a more influential factor than aging in determining testosterone levels in men.
Although testosterone levels typically begin to decline gradually from the age of 35, the study's findings suggest that body fat distribution may be more important than age itself when explaining this decline.
Researchers Carl Friedel and Adam Potter, from the U.S. Army Environmental Medicine Research Institute, analyzed health data from nearly 5,000 men in the United States aged 20 to 59. They found a strong correlation between higher levels of visceral fat and lower levels of testosterone.
Visceral fat is the deep fat located inside the abdomen, surrounding organs such as the liver, stomach, and intestines, and differs from subcutaneous fat. When considering fat distribution, the researchers found that the association between age and testosterone levels became relatively weak.
These findings are consistent with previous research linking obesity to lower testosterone. A study of 1,667 men found that a 4- to 5-point increase in body mass index was associated with a decrease in testosterone levels roughly equivalent to the decline associated with 10 years of aging.
Another study involving 1,382 men indicated that age-related testosterone decline is not inevitable, and that factors such as obesity, smoking, health status, and depression may play an important role.
Researchers believe that visceral fat may affect testosterone by increasing insulin resistance and stimulating inflammation in the body, which may affect hormone production.
The researchers pointed out that assessing obesity should not rely solely on body mass index or waist circumference, because a person with a normal weight may have high levels of visceral fat.
The findings suggest the importance of focusing on modifiable metabolic factors, such as reducing visceral fat, before resorting to testosterone replacement therapy. This may include weight loss and lifestyle changes, in addition to obesity medications such as Ozempic and Wegovi, although the study does not prove that these medications directly treat low testosterone.
The study was published in the journal of the Endocrine Society.
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