A new study is giving men a genuine, evidence-based reason to pay attention to their testosterone levels — though not the one the online “manosphere” has been pushing.
Researchers found that men with very low testosterone had an 18% higher chance of dying from cancer later in life, according to a study published in the journal Lancet Healthy Longevity. The analysis drew on data from more than 26,000 men across Australia, Europe and the US.
Scientists examined hormone concentrations from blood samples, including testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and luteinizing hormone, measured early in the men’s lives. These were then tracked against cancer diagnoses and deaths over several decades.
Testosterone naturally declines with age, but healthy levels in younger men typically range from 10 to 30 nanomoles per liter, or 300 to 1,000 nanograms per deciliter.
“We saw that when baseline testosterone was below 8.6 [nanomoles per liter], subsequent cancer risk started increasing,” said lead study author professor Bu Yeap in a press release.
Not every cancer behaves the same way
The pattern did not hold across all cancer types. Testosterone levels were not associated with a higher risk of dying from prostate cancer specifically. Instead, low levels of SHBG and luteinizing hormone were linked to prostate cancer risk — a notable finding given that standard hormone treatment for prostate cancer works by lowering testosterone and other male hormones.
Researchers were careful to stress that the data shows an association, not proof that low testosterone directly causes cancer. The low hormone levels observed could instead be a marker of other underlying health problems.
Crucially, the team said the findings should not be read as a case for testosterone supplementation.
“While we’ve shown low levels are associated with increased risk, we haven’t got any evidence yet that actually giving men testosterone will reduce that risk,” Yeap said.
