Low Testosterone Increases Cancer Risk

[Jinzang]

Low testosterone is a marker that one is more likely to develop cancer. The study abstract says:

This study assessed prospective associations of serum T, dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol (E2) with overall cancer (excluding skin cancer), prostate, colorectal and lung cancer risk in 1574 community-dwelling men aged 25-84 years. Sex hormones were assayed using mass spectrometry and men were followed for 20 years with outcomes ascertained using data linkage. Over 20 years, there were 289, 116, 48 and 22 men who developed any cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer and lung cancer, respectively. Androgens in the lowest quartile were associated with an increased overall cancer risk. T in the lowest quartile was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. The association between androgens and overall cancer risk remained similar after excluding prostate cancer outcomes; however, results were not significant. There were no associations of T, DHT or E2 with colorectal or lung cancer risk.

 

[djpreef]

Very interesting, I just hope that people don't take away from this that fixing hormone levels exogenously will then necessarily reduce cancer risk. It's much more likely that the causes of the low hormone levels are also the causes of the higher cancer risk, and addressing those would have more effect on reducing cancer risk.

 

[Jinzang]

I don't think there's any mystery here. It's well established that obesity increases cancer risk and also is associated with lower testosterone in older men. Losing weight can help both. But it's also true that exogenous testosterone can decrease obesity in older men with low testosterone.

 

[djpreef]

That's what I'm talking about though. "is associated with" and "causes" are not the same. That's all.

 

[Jinzang]

I think the causal mechanisms between obesity and cancer and obesity and low testosterone are fairly well understood.

 

[djpreef]

I went from total T of 200 to total T of over 1000 on TRT. Lost zero pounds. I lost nothing until I switched to a keto diet several years later. That causal mechanism doesn't appear to be universal.