Testosterone 'best indicator' of men's health, according to experts

Atlanta-Testosterone, a hormone somewhat relegated to background status for many years, is moving to the fore as a central factor in men's health and disease, according to an expert panel of three of the nation's foremost specialists in sexual health.

Among the study-supported observations cited by the panel at the end of their session:

Low T and metabolic syndrome

"The relationship between low testosterone and the metabolic syndrome is complex, bi-directional, and is related to primary aspects of the syndrome-visceral adiposity, hypertension with a systolic blood pressure exceeding 140 mm, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance," he observed.

Dr. Miner said that there is a definite relationship between testosterone deficiency and metabolic syndrome, that a low baseline testosterone level is predictive of metabolic syndrome, and that testosterone repletion appears to improve insulin sensitivity and glycemic control in men with type 2 diabetes.

"Men with erectile dysfunction, diminished desire, impaired orgasmic function, and metabolic diseases, which include metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, should be screened for testosterone deficiency and treated with TRT if they are symptomatic," said Dr. Miner.