Men with low testosterone risk early death: study

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Low levels of testosterone, the male
sex hormone associated with virility and energy, may also
indicate if a man will die soon, a study said on Monday.

Men in the lowest of three categories of testosterone
levels were at least 68 percent more likely to die in the
following 4-1/2 years than those in the “normal” category, the
study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine said.

Out of a total of 858 military veterans aged 40 or older,
166 had below normal testosterone levels and 35 percent died
during the study period. That compared to a 20 percent death
rate for subjects with normal testosterone levels.

Levels of testosterone drop when serious illness strikes
and recover when the illness passes, or do not rebound if
health fails to improve, said study author Molly Shores of the
University of Washington at Seattle.

The study said any impact on the study from men who
supplemented their testosterone levels was likely minimal.

Cyclist Floyd Landis had a positive doping test for
testosterone after a key stage of his Tour de France victory,
though the 30-year-old has said the testing was flawed.