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It may shock you to hear that today roughly 37 million people in the U.S. alone suffer from diabetes, with an impressive 90% to 95% of all diabetics having been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Sadly, diabetes is the trigger for many other health issues. The relationship between type 2 diabetes and testosterone is a testament to the wide impact of this disease and its interconnectedness with countless aspects of your health.
While many of us have friends or family members who already live with diabetes, the situation is expected to worsen by the end of this decade, with many more people on the verge of developing diabetes within the next few years.
Poor lifestyle and dietary habits are some of the most prominent culprits that have led to a diabetes epidemic. At the same time, these very same habits and sedentary lifestyles can cause our testosterone levels to plummet.
According to the American Diabetes Association, you are DOUBLE as likely to develop testosterone deficiency if you already have type 2 diabetes, with similar outcomes expected for other illnesses — as diabetes has been identified as a precursor for further health complications.
For now, let’s dive into the relationship between type 2 diabetes and testosterone and learn how hormone balance can contribute to better blood sugar control.
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is an endocrine disorder that stems from a pancreas malfunction whereby insufficient amounts of insulin are produced leading individuals to develop insulin resistance. While genetic predisposition can play a role in getting type 2 diabetes, environmental factors — especially diet and lifestyle — are prominent triggers.
Some of these precursors include high blood pressure, being overweight or obese, and too little physical activity. These precursors become even more important as we grow older because age makes us more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes. As a result, living a healthy lifestyle and eating a balanced diet becomes even more crucial at an older age.
Diabetes Diagnosis Criteria
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are multiple tests that your provider can utilize to diagnose type 2 diabetes. Most commonly, your doctor will use the diabetes diagnosis criterion that delivers the quickest result, ordering an in-house A1c or drawing bloodwork for a lab to process your A1c.
A normal A1c should be below 5.7% while 6.5% and higher is the range for diabetes, indicating that your average blood glucose levels over the past three months have been elevated. Prediabetes falls in the range between 5.7% and 6.5%.
Other diabetes diagnosis criteria constitute drawing a fasting plasma glucose where anything at or above 126 mg/dL would indicate diabetes. In some cases, your provider will order an OGTT, a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test or check your blood for random plasma glucose.
Most of the diabetes diagnosis criteria have to have been met twice to be indicative for a reliable diabetes diagnosis.
Type 2 Diabetes and Testosterone
Type 2 diabetes and low testosterone have long been known to go hand-in-hand — and with a diabetes epidemic unfolding, the prevalence of low testosterone is increasing as well.
A review that investigated a range of clinical trials and their findings on type 2 diabetes and testosterone, showed that testosterone deficiency was frequently observed in men diagnosed with either type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
While known to increase with age, low testosterone can be a marker of poor health and align itself with poor dietary patterns and poor lifestyle choices that can also cause type 2 diabetes.
A meta-analysis identified how type 2 diabetes can be considered a risk factor for developing low testosterone. This is particularly true as the same diet, overweight, and sedentary lifestyle that trigger type 2 diabetes, can also trigger testosterone deficiency.
Research also points to a correlation between testosterone and high cholesterol, obesity, and insulin resistance — all of which are factors that can accelerate the development of type 2 diabetes.
With countless associations and mutual precursors, it comes as no surprise that the American Diabetes Association reports that men with type 2 diabetes are double as likely to also develop testosterone deficiency.
These findings are especially important because research further suggests that type 2 diabetes is, in fact, more common in older men versus older females because of the amount of visceral fat in men at this age. As a result, men should be specifically cautious about diet and lifestyle for both their testosterone levels and blood sugar control.
Testosterone Therapy and Diabetes
Testosterone therapy has been hailed as beneficial for hypogonadal men with diabetes (hypogonadal men being men with low testosterone), achieving blood sugar control and improving total testosterone levels in your bloodstream.
Testosterone therapy has been suggested to positively affect diabetes by improving glycemic control and decreasing A1c levels — which are indicative of the 3-month average of your blood sugar. A meta-analysis found that A1c levels decreased in patients treated with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) while testosterone levels were replenished.
The extent of favorable health outcomes made researchers further hypothesize that testosterone therapy doesn’t stop at improving diabetes but could potentially lower your overall cholesterol levels while simultaneously increasing your good cholesterol — also known as HDL.
Clinical trials have shown that testosterone therapy can be beneficial for diabetes because it can favorably change your body composition, as the amount of visceral fat and muscle mass are important factors for the development of diabetes.
Another meta-analysis also confirmed that an increase in testosterone levels, such as the one that can be achieved through testosterone therapy, could actually lower your chances of developing type 2 diabetes as a man.
Any Concerns about Type 2 Diabetes or Your Testosterone?
With a skyrocketing number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes today, take the chance to speak with your physician about potential symptoms or risk factors. Your doctor can also monitor your testosterone levels — which is particularly important if you have already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Testosterone therapy marks a prominent method to replenish testosterone in men diagnosed with diabetes and can contribute additional benefits to your overall health.
Does testosterone deficiency share risk factors with other prevalent health conditions? Identify potential precursors by signing up for our newsletter and learning more about testosterone health.
