Men's Testosterone Levels Largely Detewrmined by Childhood Environment

[Jinzang]

A new study finds that men who spent their childhood in harsher, more poverty sticken environments have lower levels of testosterone. Here is a link to the news release and study abstract.

Men’s testosterone levels are largely determined by their environment during childhood, according to new research. The Durham University-led study suggests that men who grow up in more challenging conditions where there are lots of infectious diseases, for example, are likely to have lower testosterone levels in later life than those who spend their childhood in healthier environments. The study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, challenges the theory that testosterone levels are controlled by genetics or race.

Aspects of male reproductive function remain changeable into adolescence, up to the age of 19 and are more flexible in early rather than late childhood, according to the research. However, the study suggests that, in adulthood, men’s testosterone levels are no longer heavily influenced by their surroundings.