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Previously
unrecognized Testosterone Deficiency common
in men with Type 1 Diabetes
Newswise — Testosterone
deficiency, previously recognized as common
in men with type 2 diabetes, is also common
in men with type 1 diabetes according to a
new study accepted for publication in the
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &
Metabolism (JCEM).
These findings suggest
that there is a direct link between insulin
resistance and reduced testosterone levels
in men.
“As testosterone
deficiency may contribute to impaired
performance, mood, and libido, as well as
have adverse impact on cardiovascular risk,
these findings demonstrate the presence of a
significant and unrecognized problem among
men with diabetes,” said Dr. Mathis
Grossmann of the University of Melbourne in
Australia.
“Our findings of
insulin resistance as a potential
determinant of reduced testosterone levels
may represent an important avenue for
intervention.”
For this study,
researchers conducted a survey of 580 men
with type 2 diabetes and 69 men with type 1
diabetes.
A subgroup of 262 men
with type 2 diabetes was then reassessed
after six months. Testosterone levels were
measured from blood samples using the Access
testosterone assay.
Previous
population-studies found an association of
reduced testosterone levels in men and type
2 diabetes, however this is the first study
to demonstrate a similar prevalence in
individuals with type 1 diabetes.
This study raises the
question of whether testosterone replacement
therapy can reduce insulin resistance or
symptoms of hypogonadism in men with
diabetes.
Researchers, however
stress that the balance of benefits and
risks of such treatment is currently unknown
and still to be defined by large and
long-term clinical trials. Also, while
insulin resistance is associated with
testosterone deficiency, there is no
evidence that insulin sensitizers are able
to elevate testosterone levels in men with
diabetes.
Other researchers
working on the study include Merlin Thomas,
Sianna Panagiotopoulos, Ken Sharpe, Richard
MacIsaac, Sophie Clarke, Jeffrey Zajac, and
George Jerums of the University of Melbourne
in Australia.
A rapid release version of this paper has
been published on-line and will appear in
the May 2008 issue of JCEM, a publication of
The Endocrine Society.
Founded in 1916, The
Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest,
largest, and most active organization
devoted to research on hormones, and the
clinical practice of endocrinology.
Today, The Endocrine
Society’s membership consists of over 14,000
scientists, physicians, educators, nurses
and students in more than 80 countries.
Together, these members represent all basic,
applied, and clinical interests in
endocrinology.
The Endocrine Society
is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn
more about the Society, and the field of
endocrinology, visit our web site at
http://www.endo-society.org.
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