The Sooner You Cut Your Risk For Cardiovascular Disease The Longer You Will Live

Writing in the medical journal Circulation, researchers say that if you are at low risk for cardiovascular disease at age 50, it is unlikely that you will suffer from heart disease in your lifetime and that compared to others in the same age group with higher risk, men could expect to live 11 more years and women 9 more years.

From the abstract: “The absence of established risk factors at 50 years of age is associated with very low lifetime risk for CVD and markedly longer survival. These results should promote efforts aimed at preventing development of risk factors in young individuals. Given the high lifetime risks and lower survival in those with intermediate or high risk factor burden at 50 years of age, these data may be useful in communicating risks and supporting intensive preventive therapy.”

Lloyd-Jones DM, Leip EP, Larson MG, D’Agostino RB, Beiser A, Wilson PWF, Wolf PA, Levy D. Prediction of Lifetime Risk for Cardiovascular Disease by Risk Factor Burden at 50 Years of Age. Circulation 2006, doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.548206

Heart Health

Testosterone May Protect Against Hardening Of The Arteries
Testosterone supplementation has received a fair share of “bad press.” Mostly due to health problems (sterility, coronary artery disease, liver damage, and brain tumors), caused in young men and women who should not be taking testosterone supplementation, but do so at super-physiological doses, to enhance athletic performance.

The Sooner You Cut Your Risk For Cardiovascular Disease The Longer You Will Live
Writing in the medical journal Circulation, researchers say that if you are at low risk for cardiovascular disease at age 50, it is unlikely that you will suffer from heart disease in your lifetime and that compared to others in the same age group with higher risk, men could expect to live 11 more years and women 9 more years.

Does Being Optimistic Really Lower Risk From Cardiovascular Disease in Elderly Men?
Researchers writing in the medical journal the Archives of Internal Medicine say that having an optimistic outlook, DOES lower mortality risk associated with cardiovascular disease.

Menopause and Heart Disease
researchers writing in the medical journal Climacteric say that “an ideal hormone replacement therapy that can overcome hypertension, prevent body weight gain and control serum triglycerides offers an important advance in cardiovascular risk management during the menopause.”

Testosterone, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease
New research says Testosterone may have a protective role in the development of metabolic syndrome and subsequent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in aging men.

Does Being Optimistic Really Lower Risk From Cardiovascular Disease in Elderly Men?

Researchers writing in the medical journal the Archives of Internal Medicine say that having an optimistic outlook, DOES lower mortality risk associated with cardiovascular disease.

Here are excerpts from the study abstract:
Background-Dispositional optimism, defined in terms of life engagement and generalized positive outcome expectancies for one’s future, may be related to lower cardiovascular mortality. We aimed to determine whether dispositional optimism is a stable trait over time and whether it is independently related to lower cardiovascular mortality in elderly men.

METHODS-In a cohort study with a follow-up of 15 years, we included 545 (61.4%) of 887 men, aged 64 to 84 years, who were free of preexisting cardiovascular disease and cancer and who had complete data on cardiovascular risk factors and sociodemographic characteristics.

RESULTS-Optimism scores significantly decreased over 15 years, but showed temporal stability.

Conclusion-Dispositional optimism is a relatively stable trait over 15 years and shows a graded and inverse association with the risk of cardiovascular death.

Giltay EJ, Kamphuis MH, Kalmijn S, Zitman FG, Kromhout D. Dispositional Optimism and the Risk of Cardiovascular Death. The Zutphen Elderly Study. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:431-436.
Read the full abstract

Metabolic Syndrome and Stroke

Najarian RM, Sullivan LM, Kannel WB, Wilson PW, D’Agostino RB, Wolf PA.Metabolic Syndrome Compared With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as a Risk Factor for Stroke: The Framingham Offspring Study. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Jan 9;166(1):106-111.

Researchers writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine say that preventing and controlling Metabolic Syndrome is likely to reduce risk of stroke.

From the abstract: “Metabolic syndrome has been recognized as a prediabetic constellation of symptoms and an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.”

They concluded: “Metabolic syndrome is more prevalent than diabetes and a significant independent risk factor for stroke in people without diabetes. Prevention and control of (Metabolic Syndrome) and its components are likely to reduce stroke incidence.”

Read the abstract

Women, Testosterone and Cardiovascular Disease

Researchers writing in the medical journal Coronary Artery Disease say that their study “could suggest that the development of cardiovascular disease after menopause is due not only to estrogen decline but also to androgen decline.”

Montalcini T, Gorgone G, Gazzaruso C, Sesti G, Perticone F, Pujia A. Endogenous testosterone and endothelial function in postmenopausal women Coron Artery Dis. 2007 Feb;18(1):9-13.

OBJECTIVE: It is well known that coronary heart disease incidence increases in women after menopause. This phenomenon was related to reduced levels of female sex hormones. Estrogen decline, however, is not the only hormonal change during the postmenopausal period and estrogen administration did not protect women from cardiovascular disease. Therefore, it is justified to explore other hormonal changes. The role of androgens is still controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between endogenous sex hormones and endothelial function, measuring the brachial artery flow-mediated dilation.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixty postmenopausal women were consecutively enrolled and underwent a clinical and biochemical examination. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation was also evaluated by ultrasound. After correction for confounding variables, testosterone was positively correlated to flow-mediated dilation (beta=0.277, P=0.03). Indeed, women in the lowest testosterone tertile had a flow-mediated dilation smaller than that in the highest tertile (P=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS: This result could suggest that the development of cardiovascular disease after menopause is due not only to estrogen decline but also to androgen decline. More studies are needed to evaluate the role of androgen replacement therapy on postmenopausal women with low level of this hormone.

Hypoandrogen-Metabolic Syndrome in Men

Gould DC, Kirby RS, Amoroso P. Hypoandrogen-metabolic syndrome: a potentially common and underdiagnosed condition in men. Int J Clin Pract. 2007 Feb;61(2):341-4.

Researchers writing in the International Journal of Clinical Practice say Men with (Hypoandrogen-metabolic syndrome) and symptoms of androgen deficiency may be managed by, in the absence of contraindications, testosterone replacement therapy along with weight reduction and other measures to normalize glucose, lipid and blood pressure control.

The researchers noted that symptoms of androgen deficiency (hypoandrogenaemia (hypogonadism, hypotestosteronaemia) may be a common accompanying factor in men with the metabolic syndrome and when androgen deficiency and metabolic syndrome are present together “they may be considered as a specific entity, the hypoandrogen-metabolic (HAM) syndrome.”

The researchers concluded: “The prevalence of both hypoandrogenaemia and the metabolic syndrome increases with age and the clinician will frequently attend to men in their middle to advanced years with obesity, low androgen levels and metabolic syndrome.

These conditions place men at an increased risk of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes and can be simply investigated with weight, waist and blood pressure measurement and blood sample analyses.

Men with HAM and symptoms of androgen deficiency may be managed by, in the absence of contraindications, testosterone replacement therapy along with weight reduction and other measures to normalise glucose, lipid and blood pressure control.”

Testosterone, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease

New research says Testosterone may have a protective role in the development of metabolic syndrome and subsequent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in aging men.

Svartberg J. Epidemiology: testosterone and the metabolic syndrome Int J Impot Res. 2006 Jul 20.

From the study abstract:
Low levels of testosterone, hypogonadism, have several common features with the metabolic syndrome.

In a population-based health survey, testosterone levels were inversely associated with anthropometrical measurements, and the lowest levels of total and free testosterone were found in men with the most pronounced central obesity.

Total testosterone was inversely associated with systolic blood pressure, and men with hypertension had lower levels of both total and free testosterone.

Furthermore, men with diabetes had lower testosterone levels compared to men without a history of diabetes, and an inverse association between testosterone levels and glycosylated hemoglobin was found.

Thus, there are strong associations between low levels of testosterone and the different components of the metabolic syndrome.

In addition, an independent association between low testosterone levels and the metabolic syndrome itself has recently been presented in both cross-sectional and prospective population-based studies.

Thus, testosterone may have a protective role in the development of metabolic syndrome and subsequent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in aging men. However, clinical trials are needed to confirm this assumption.

 From Our Booklet: Age Management

TESTOSTERONE FOR MEN
The medicinal value of testicles have been documented in the Bible, the writings of the ancient Egyptians and from India. Indeed, nearly every ancient culture believed that the testicles held some form of masculine power.

The use of testosterone as a means of restoring vitality can be traced in the modern era to the work of famed medical researcher Charles Edouard Brown-Séquard (1817-1894). Brown-Séquard had been hailed as a medial pioneer for his ability to treat difficult and previously untreatable disorders of the nervous system. At the age of 72, when he noticed his declining vitality, he injected himself with the extracts of crushed testicles from dogs and guinea pigs and increased his physical strength and intellectual abilities and announced his results to his colleagues.

Brown-Séquard’s work sparked an influx of research and medical use of testicles, however, technology could not, at that time, substantiate his claims. Read more

Testosterone for Men Studies and News Items

Testosterone replacement therapy and the risk of prostate cancer
The article says “The belief that testosterone increases the risk of prostate cancer is so widely accepted that study after study that tries to show it and can’t keeps getting repeated over and over,” says Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, a Boston urologist and author of the 2004 review. “People don’t believe it.”

Testosterone and Reduction in Cardiovascular Risk
Researchers writing in the European Journal of Endocrinology say that “Testosterone replacement therapy reduces insulin resistance and improves glycaemic control in hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes. Improvements in glycaemic control, insulin resistance, cholesterol and visceral adiposity together represent an overall reduction in cardiovascular risk.”

Testosterone, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease
New research says Testosterone may have a protective role in the development of metabolic syndrome and subsequent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in aging men.

Testosterone’s favorable effects on an important metabolic component of chronic heart failure
Researchers writing in the European Journal of Heart Failure say that testosterone improves fasting insulin sensitivity in men with chronic heart failure and may also increase lean body mass, these data suggest a favorable effect of testosterone on an important metabolic component of CHF.

Low Testosterone and men over 45
Researchers writing in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, studied the prevalence of hypogonadism (testosterone deficiency) in men age 45 and over.

Androgen Deficiency, Metabolic Syndrome and Non-Obese Men
Researchers writing in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism report that “Low SHBG, total testosterone, or AD (Androgen Deficiency) may be early markers of MetS (Metabolic Syndrome) in nonobese men.

More Body Mass…Diminished Testosterone
Researchers writing in the medical journal Archives of Andrology say total testosterone and SHBG concentrations proportionally diminished with both the increase of BMI (body mass index) and insulin resistance index.

Low testosterone levels – higher risk of anemia
Researchers writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine say that Older men and women with low testosterone levels have a higher risk of anemia.

Low Testosterone and the Pro-Inflammatory State in Aging Men
Researchers writing in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation “suggest that a close relationship exists between the development of a pro-inflammatory state and the decline in Testosterone levels, two trends that are often observed in aging men”

Testosterone Replacement Therapy and the Risk of Prostate Cancer. Is there a link?
Writing in the Canadian Journal of Urology, Researcher Abraham Morgentaler of the Division of Urology, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, says that “there is an absence of scientific data supporting the concept that higher testosterone levels are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.

Testosterone’s favorable effects on an important metabolic component of chronic heart failure
Researchers writing in the European Journal of Heart Failure say that testosterone improves fasting insulin sensitivity in men with chronic heart failure and may also increase lean body mass, these data suggest a favorable effect of testosterone on an important metabolic component of CHF.

Testosterone, Alzheimer’s, Mood and Quality of Life
A study suggets that that testosterone replacement therapy improved overall quality of life in patients with Alzheimers Disease.

Estradiol, Testosterone, and Hip Fractures in Men
Researchers writing in The American Journal of Medicine say “Men with low estradiol levels are at an increased risk for future hip fracture. Men with both low estradiol and low testosterone levels seem to be at greatest risk for hip fracture.” Read more

Testosterone and Prostate Cancer
Is there a link between testosterone and prostate cancer?
According to a new study, “there is not now-nor has there ever been-a scientific basis for the belief that Testosterone causes pCA (Prostate Cancer) to grow.”

Testosterone and Prostate Cancer
A new paper published in the medical journal Current Treatment Options in Oncology says that “there is a varied and extensive literature indicating that TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) does not pose any increased risk of PCa (Prostate Cancer) growth in men with or without prior treatment.”

Low testosterone levels are associated with coronary artery disease
Researchers say that low testosterone levels are associated with
coronary artery disease in male patients with angina.

Low Testosterone Levels and Mortality
Researchers writing in the Annals of Internal Medicine examined “whether low testosterone levels are a risk factor for mortality in male veterans.”

Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Testosterone Deficiency
Researchers writing in the International Journal of Andrology say that there is “a direct association between subclinical hypothyroidism and hypoandrogenaemia. Testosterone deficiency and its symptoms should be kept in view while managing subclinical hypothyroidism in male patients.”

Testosterone and Prostate
Research published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology says “Data from all published prospective studies on circulating level of total and free testosterone do not support the hypothesis that high levels of circulating androgens are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.”

Testosterone and Cognitive Function
A new study in the European Journal of Endocrinology says “Low endogenous levels of testosterone may be related to reduced cognitive ability, and testosterone substitution may improve some aspects of cognitive ability.”

Testosterone and Muscle Strength in the Elderly
Researchers writing in the Journal of the American Geriatric Society suggest that testosterone/DHT therapy may produce a moderate increase in muscle strength in men.

Testosterone and the Aging Male
A published report in the medical journal Aging Male says “The wide-ranging benefits of testosterone therapy in young and old men are clear and it appears that the route of administration (intramuscular, oral, or transdermal) does not alter this fact, but future work could illustrate even more profound effects of testosterone (e.g., in reducing cardiovascular risk) that could result in its recommended use in a wider range of patients.”

Testosterone-insulin sensitivity and men with heart failure
Researchers writing in the European Journal of Heart Failure say “Testosterone improves fasting insulin sensitivity in men with CHF and may also increase lean body mass, these data suggest a favourable effect of testosterone on an important metabolic component of CHF”

Testosterone, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome
Recent research in the International Journal of Impotence Research say testosterone may have a protective role in the development of metabolic syndrome and subsequent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in aging men. However, clinical trials are needed to confirm this assumption.

Hypoandrogen-metabolic syndrome in men
Researchers writing in the International Journal of Clinical Practice say Men with (Hypoandrogen-metabolic syndrome) and symptoms of androgen deficiency may be managed by, in the absence of contraindications, testosterone replacement therapy along with weight reduction and other measures to normalise glucose, lipid and blood pressure control.

Testosterone and Ischemic Heart Disease
Researchers writing in Cardiovascular & Hematological Disorders Drug Targets examined lower testosterone levels in patients with ischemic heart disease.