Low T = Early Grave?

This is interesting:

Increased Death Risk

After adjusting the figures to take into account factors such as age, body mass index and other illnesses, the researchers found men with low testosterone levels were 88% more likely to die than those with normal levels.

The researchers then removed the men who had died within one year of taking the second testosterone sample from their calculations, as critical illnesses can cause testosterone levels to dramatically decrease.

They still found men with low levels had a 68% increased mortality risk.

Molly Shores, the author of the study, wrote with colleagues: "The persistence of elevated mortality risk after excluding early deaths suggests that the association between low testosterone and mortality is not simply due to acute illness.

“Large prospective studies are needed to clarify the association between low testosterone levels and mortality.”

They pointed out their study might not be representative because it focused on military veterans, who had a higher risk of death than the normal population.

junk science.

there is no way one single factor is an indicator of a 70% mortality factor.

[quote]sasquatch wrote:
junk science.

there is no way one single factor is an indicator of a 70% mortality factor.

[/quote]

Maybe, maybe not.

The “68% increased mortality risk” reported in the BBC article is a bit misleading.

Here’s another quote that makes more sense:

“Over the course of the study, the researchers found 20.1% of men with normal levels had died, compared with 24.6% of men with equivocal levels and 34.9% of men with low levels.”

It may turn out to be bullshit, but I’d still be interested in any followup studies that examine the general population.