Although testosterone is most commonly discussed as the male hormone produced mainly in the testicles, it has many other functions as well, and it is produced in the female body as well as the male body.
Low levels of testosterone in the body can cause many health problems. Mainly, it is known to cause erectile dysfunction, infertility, and multiple muscle growth and usage problems.
What most people aren’t aware of are the more serious health problems low levels of testosterone may indicate or cause. Low levels of testosterone can also be indicators of type 2 diabetes in men, and low levels of testosterone may also indicate that you are at a higher risk for heart disease.
Heart disease is the leading killer of both men and women in the United States, and the term encompasses many specific heart problems. It includes heart attack, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, stroke, and congenital heart disease.
Because there are so many specific problems in the heart disease category, there are many ways to protect your heart against it. A healthy diet and exercise routine, a lack of smoking habits, lowering cholesterol, and controlling high blood pressure are a few examples of ways to keep your heart healthy.
The question is, what does any of this have to do with low testosterone levels? And how can low testosterone levels possible be an indicator that you may be at a higher risk for heart disease?
Testosterone, along with giving men deep voices and hair on their chests, has a complex relationship with many of the body’s tissues that do extremely important things. One of those things is that testosterone helps the body absorb and use the blood sugar that comes from insulin. Relationships within the body such as this one exemplify how testosterone does more within the body than we may realize.
In terms of the heart, the testosterone flowing through the blood is taken in and bound by receptors on the outside of the tissue in order to be either used or stored for later.
Although direct connections between heart disease and testosterone levels have not been found, it is evident that there are certain connections, simply based on statistical evidence. Many studies have been done specifically on heart disease in men vs. women because the male body produces much more testosterone than the female body does.
It is very common for doctors to test men for their levels of testosterone, and when the test results show low testosterone levels, it may be an indicator that the individual has higher cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a wax like substance in the blood, and it builds up in the blood vessels over time. If a person has high cholesterol, it eventually builds up in and blocks the blood stream, causing the person to have a stroke. Because testosterone is a hormone that can help break substances down in the blood stream and change them to be more useful to the body, lower than normal levels of it indicate that there is potential for problem.
This problem is worsened if the person in question does not live a healthy lifestyle by eating right and exercising regularly. The most imperative thing about preventing heart disease is to lead a healthy lifestyle and to have regular visits to the doctor to confirm that you are healthy. Even if there are not outward symptoms, you may still have low levels of testosterone and may be at risk.
Sources:
- http://www.lef.org/protocols/male_reproductive/male_hormone_restoration_01.htm
- http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/basics/definition/con-20020865
- http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/testosterone-and-the-heart.shtml
- http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/default.htm?names-dropdown