A study co-authored by an Indian-origin researcher has revealed that restoration of testosterone to normal levels in older men may decrease the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from any cause, Times of India reports.
According to Times of India, corresponding author of the study Rajat Barua, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Kansas in the US said, "It is the first study to demonstrate that significant benefit is observed only if the dose is adequate to normalise the total testosterone levels.
"Patients who failed to achieve the therapeutic range after testosterone replacement therapy did not see a reduction in (heart attack) or stroke and had significantly less benefit on mortality."
So far, the medical community lacks results that show the benefits of testosterone therapy for the heart.
Ealier in the year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance against the over-use of testosterone therapy by relating it to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
The new research studied more than 83,000 men with low testosterone, all age 50 or above, who received care between the years of 1999 and 2014.
The men under study were divided into three groups: those whose total testosterone levels returned to normal, those whose testosterone level did not reach normal and those who were untreated. It was found that treated men were 56 percent less likely to die during the follow-up period, 24 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack, and 36 percent less likely to have a stroke.
The study was published online in the European Heart Journal.
