Low-T in women can lead to obesity, study finds

April 2, 2015

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Brett Smith for redOrbit.com @ParkstBrett

As a man, watching commercials during sporting events can really make you question your masculinity. If the bombardment of erectile dysfunction messages arent enough, we now have to ask the question, Am I suffering from Low-T?

Now, a new study suggests that women could also have their Low-T insecurities poked after every Monday Night Football touchdown.

Not just a male hormone

The study, published in inThe FASEB Journal, suggests a relationship between low levels of testosterone and other androgens, and both atherosclerosis and obesity in women.

We hope that our study will contribute to intensified research efforts on the definition of androgen deficiency in women (e.g. which levels of androgens in the blood should be considered too low?), the consequences androgen deficiency may have for womens health and ultimately, whether androgen deficient women may need androgen treatment for normalization of their androgen levels in order to maintain long-term cardiovascular and overall health, said Dr. sa Tivesten, a researcher at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gteborg, Sweden.

In the study, researchers compared female mice both with and without the androgen receptor. They discovered that female mice without the androgen receptor became obese, accumulated high levels of fat in blood and elevated atherosclerosis. The scientists gave these female mice androgens and body fat and this lowered the amount of atherosclerosis.

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Low-T in women can lead to obesity, study finds

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