Newswise — Testosterone replacement therapy reduces insulin resistance, which is associated with high cardiovascular risk, in men with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a new study found. The results will be presented Tuesday, June 17, at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
"Approximately three quarters of men with diabetes die as a result of cardiovascular disease," said lead author Professor Hugh Jones, MD, of Barnsley Hospital and the University of Sheffield in the, United Kingdom. "The finding that testosterone replacement therapy improves insulin sensitivity in a placebo-controlled study and that the effect persists over the 12 month treatment period is a very important clinical finding."
Insulin resistance is a major biochemical defect in diabetes and metabolic syndrome and is associated with the development of high blood sugars, hypertension, and several other factors which combined lead to an increased cardiovascular risk.
Drugs commonly used to treat diabetes also improve insulin sensitivity, but testosterone may have one other benefit. In addition to the effect on insulin sensitivity, the study found that testosterone can also help men with erectile dysfunction. This demonstrates the key importance of testosterone in the erectile process of diabetic men, said Jones.
Patients in the study were testosterone deficient men with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome. They were treated with either 3g 2 percent testosterone gel (Tostran®) per day or a placebo. At 14 days, all patients underwent peak serum testosterone measurement and dose titration.
This is the first large study (220 men) looking at the use of testosterone replacement therapy in men with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes, said Jones. The study involved 40 centers throughout Europe and lasted 12 months.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic risk factors that increase the chances of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. To receive this diagnosis, patients must have three of the following five risk factors: increased waist circumference (abdominal fat), low HDL ("good" ) cholesterol, high triglycerides (fats in the blood), high blood pressure, and high blood sugar.
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