Testosterone and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in men.
It has been assumed for years that male testosterone levels play a central role in worsening lipoprotein patterns and causing greater susceptibility to ischemic heart disease. Yet most clinical trials of quasi-physiologic doses of intramuscular testosterone in older men show no effect on high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, while cross-sectional epidemiologic studies almost uniformly find that endogenous testosterone levels are positively associated with HDL-cholesterol levels. Further work is required to determine whether and why physiologic testosterone levels in the high normal range appear to be conducive to optimal cardiovascular health for adult men.
Barrett-Connor
E L
EL
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0607, USA.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D045930:Anabolic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood* / Q000187:drug effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013197:Stanozolol / Q000494:pharmacology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*
D045930:Anabolic Agents; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D013739:Testosterone; D013197:Stanozolol; C004648:testosterone enanthate