High cholesterol lowers testosterone

Men with high cholesterol or high blood pressure have lower blood levels of the male hormone, testosterone, than men with normal blood pressure.

How can this be? The male hormone, testosterone, was thought to raise cholesterol and increase risk for heart attacks. But this applied only to the methyl testosterone taken by some athletes, not the testosterone produced by the body.

Having high cholesterol, pre-diabetes or high blood pressure causes hardening of the arteries, which decreases blood flow to the testicles to damage the testicles and lower testosterone. High blood pressure and high cholesterol lower testosterone, so men with low testosterone are at increased risk for heart attacks. That means that every impotent man should have blood tests for cholesterol and diabetes, the two leading causes of heart attacks. The tests your doctor should order include HBA1C, lipid panel, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), homocysteine, Lp(a), prolactin and testosterone. By the time a man has low levels of testosterone, he may already have significant arteriosclerosis. Journal reference for this report More on lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure