ArticleThe review of diabetic studies : RDS2013
Low total testosterone levels are associated with the metabolic syndrome in elderly men: the role of body weight, lipids, insulin resistance, and inflammation; the Ikaria study.
Article in The review of diabetic studies : RDS, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 44 citations in OpenAlex.
- The 24/7 lifestyle and male hormonal health: how sleep deprivation and ultra-processed foods impact testosterone and reproduction.Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders · 2026Review
- The Postnatal Offspring of Finasteride-Treated Male Rats Shows Hyperglycaemia, Elevated Hepatic Glycogen Storage and Altered GLUT2, IR, and AR Expression in the Liver.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Article
- The Effects of Androgens on Cardiometabolic Syndrome: Current Therapeutic Concepts.Sexual medicine · 2020Review
- What is the best biological parameter to predict erectile dysfunction in men aged >55 years with type 2 diabetes?Journal of diabetes investigation · 2020Article
- Immunosenescence in Testicular Cancer Survivors: Potential Implications of Cancer Therapies and Psychological Distress.Frontiers in oncology · 2020Review
- The Association between Serum Testosterone and Risk Factors for Atherosclerosis.Current urology · 2019Article
- Associations between testosterone and metabolic syndrome in depressed and non-depressed older men and women.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2019Article
- The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Testosterone.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2019Review
- From inflammation to sexual dysfunctions: a journey through diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2018Review
- Impact of Testosterone Deficiency and Testosterone Therapy on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Men with Metabolic Syndrome.The world journal of men's health · 2018Review
- Testosterone, aging and survival: biomarker or deficiency.Current opinion in endocrinology, diabetes, and obesity · 2014Review
- Lessons Learned From Blue Zones, Lifestyle Medicine Pillars and Beyond: An Update on the Contributions of Behavior and Genetics to Wellbeing and Longevity.American journal of lifestyle medicineReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases with age. Among other changes, testosterone levels decline with age. The relationship between testosterone levels and MetS components in older subjects has not been clearly defined until today.
objectivesThe aim of this work was to evaluate the relationship between total serum testosterone levels and MetS and its components.
methodsThe working sample consisted of 467 elderly individuals (mean age 75 ± 6 years old, n = 220 men) from Ikaria Island, Greece. MetS was defined according to the NCEP ATPIII criteria.
resultsMetS prevalence was 52% in men and 64% in women. Those with MetS had lower testosterone levels; a 10 ng/dl increase in testosterone was associated with a 3% reduction in odds of having MetS in men (95% CI: 0.95-0.99), but not in women. This remained the result after various adjustments had been made, including daily hours of sleep. Testosterone was inversely associated with abnormal waist circumference, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), insulin, and HDL cholesterol levels in men only. When lipid categories, hs-CRP, BMI, and insulin resistance levels were taken into account, testosterone lost its significance in predicting MetS (p < 0.20), suggesting that these markers possess a mediating effect.
conclusionsIn elderly men, low serum testosterone was associated with MetS. Lipids, BMI, inflammation, and insulin resistance levels seem to explain this relationship, suggesting a potential mediating effect. This finding may support a research hypothesis relating serum testosterone to cardiovascular disease, which requires further research.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.