Study tests testosterone link to diabetes

A WORLD-FIRST study to test whether testosterone injections could help prevent type 2 diabetes in men will get underway in Australia this year.

Up to 1500 men across four Australian states will enrol in the Weight Watchers program and be given regular injections of either testosterone or a placebo.

The lead investigator, Professor Gary Wittert from the University of Adelaide says men aged 50 to 74 who are at risk of developing diabetes are currently being sought for the two-year study.

He said it was the first time such a study had been conducted anywhere in the world.

"Nobody has ever done a proper two-year trial to answer the question of whether giving testosterone prevents the onset of diabetes," Prof Wittert told AAP on Thursday.

"We know that as men get older and gain weight, especially when they become large around the belly, they often suffer from reduced testosterone levels," he said.

"Lower testosterone has many implications for men's health, such as reduced motivation to exercise and lack of sexual function."

He said men with low testosterone levels were most likely to progress to diabetes.

Prof Wittert said the $4.8 million study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and had been designed by a group of Australian academics.

Weight Watchers was asked to join the research because a weight loss program was needed that was widely available to all Australian men, including online.

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Study tests testosterone link to diabetes

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