Nat Med: testosterone levels affect the risk of cancer and metabolic disease

February 12, 2020 / bioun / -- according to a recent study, high testosterone levels increase women's risk of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, while reducing men's risk of related diseases Higher testosterone levels also increase the risk of breast and endometrial cancer in women and prostate cancer in men The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, was led by the epidemiology research group of the Medical Research Council (MRC) of the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter Although the study found that testosterone levels in men and women are strongly regulated by genetic factors, the authors found that genetic factors vary widely between the sexes (image source: www Pixabay Com) first, the team used the whole genome association study (GWAS) in 425097 participants of the British biological bank to identify 2571 genetic variations that are not related to the level of sex hormone "testosterone" and its binding protein "sex hormone binding globulin (shgb)." The researchers validated their genetic analysis in other studies, including epic Norfolk and twin UK, and found highly consistent studies with their results in UK Biobank Next, the team used a method called "Mendel randomization," which uses naturally occurring genetic differences to understand whether the known link between testosterone levels and disease is causal rather than related They found that stronger testosterone expression in women increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 37% and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) by 51% However, they also found that higher testosterone levels reduced men's risk of type II diabetes by 14% In addition, they found that genetically higher testosterone levels increased the risk of breast and endometrial cancer in women and prostate cancer in men "Our findings are important to understand the role of testosterone in the origin of common diseases Similarly, in men, testosterone reduction therapy is widely used to treat prostate cancer, but until now, it is uncertain whether lower testosterone levels can also prevent prostate cancer Our findings show how genetic techniques such as Mendel randomization can help understand the risks and benefits of hormone therapy " Source of information: testosterone levels effect risk of metallic disease and cancer source: using human genetics to understand the disease impacts of testosterone in men and women, Nature Medicine (2020) Doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0751-5, https://nature.com/articles/s41591-020-0751-5