Diabetes And Low Testosterone – What is The Link?

Type II Diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions in this nation. There are theories that are many on the reason behind this phenomenon, but few will disagree that climbing levels of obesity play a role. Numerous individuals do not realize, nevertheless, that when it comes to males with Diabetes, there are hormonal issues at play. 1 of every 3 males with Type II Diabetes has very low Testosterone. In reality, males with Diabetes are much more prone to have low Testosterone than men with no Diabetes.

As men get older beyond 40 years, they have a drop in serum Testosterone – typically aproximatelly 1-2 % per year. This specific fall might affect physical, sexual, or emotional elements of men’s health. A big role of Testosterone is regulation of fat mass as well as lean muscle mass. As Testosterone levels decline, so does lean muscle mass, along with body fat mass rises. Scientific studies have shown that between the ages of 25-65, the average man will lose more than 25lbs of lean muscle tissue, and gain a minimum of 25lbs of fat. This fats mass is often deposited in the abdomen – in and click here near the abdominal organs. This visceral fat has important implications in terminology of metabolic health.

This particular visceral fat is not merely storing fat, but is in addition releasing hormones as well as other chemical messengers that lead to an ailment called insulin resistance. This particular insulin resistance (IR) is described as an impaired biologic response to insulin – it’s a condition of not enough insulin efficacy. Obesity is probably the most frequent reason for IR, and IR is a very common precursor to Diabetes. So it is easy to see that any treatment that can help reduce this visceral, abdominal fat will likely have an optimistic effect on IR as well as help lessen the chance of getting Diabetes.

It is obvious from many studies that Testosterone therapy within hypogonadal men results to good effects in body composition – loss of body fat mass as well as surge in lean muscle mass. Several experiments have even gone on to show a reduction in insulin resistance connected with Testosterone therapy. It’s not clear as to whether this improvement in IR is due entirely to changes in body composition, or perhaps Testosterone itself may possibly be involved in insulin sensitivity. More studies are needed.

This whole relationship between Diabetes, Testosterone, as well as Obesity is complex. For example, not everyone with low Testosterone can become obese, and only some obese men and women develop diabetes. Though with the increased prevalence of lower Testosterone in Diabetic men, a lot of doctors feel that most males with diabetes must be screened for low Testosterone. If low Testosterone is found, the individual and his physician is able to make an informed decision regarding Testosterone therapy.