Low Testosterone and Diabetes

Low Testosterone And Diabetes: What’s The Link?

There are several links between low testosterone and diabetes. Research does not say that low testosterone causes diabetes, but they can be related indirectly. Here is how:

1. Those with type 2 diabetes are often overweight or obese. Some experts shared in the Journal of Diabetes Care that high body weight and high body mass index (BMI) can cause type 2 diabetes and could result in low testosterone levels. As a matter of fact, as BMI increases in those with diabetes, testosterone levels tend to drop.
2. Low testosterone has been proven to be linked to insulin resistance (the body does not utilize its insulin correctly) which is part of the disease of type 2 diabetes.
3. One of the side effects of type 2 diabetes is low testosterone. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism shared that the pituitary gland in those with type 2 diabetes has stopped producing enough free testosterone (testosterone in the blood that is not bound to the protein sex hormone binding globulin or SHBG). The researchers believe that this slowing of the pituitary occurs because of the diabetes. As a result, it creates low T.
4. Experts have studied those who have type 2 diabetes and these individuals are said to be twice as likely to have low T than those who have normal levels of testosterone.

Low testosterone levels and diabetes have some symptoms that mimic each other as well. As a matter of fact, low T has similar symptoms to many other problems and this is why it will often not get diagnosed properly when a patient seeks out a traditional doctor for his or her symptoms. Most doctors do not test for low testosterone when patients visit them with complaints. This is unfortunate.

Some of the most common low testosterone and diabetes symptoms can include:

• Lack of energy
• Fatigue
• Hunger without weight gain in those who are overweight
• Difficulty with healing (a suppressed immune system)
• Mood swings, anger and irritability
• A change in vision

People will often live with these issues, as they do not know what is causing them. Most people who visit their doctor with the above complaints will be referred for a blood test. They may find out that they have diabetes; however, they may never know that low testosterone levels are an issue too.

Unless a doctor knows about the link between low testosterone and diabetes type 1 or low testosterone and diabetes type 2,he or she will not know that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) could be a way to stop certain symptoms. This is why more doctors and patients alike should become educated more about TRT and its benefits.

Managing Diabetes And Low Testosterone

Testosterone replacement therapy has been said to be able to help people manage the symptoms of both diabetes and low testosterone. Some of the symptoms of both issues overlap, such as lethargy, mood swings, irritability, difficulty with healing wounds and changes in vision. TRT can help to alleviate all of them.

Not only can TRT help with low testosterone and diabetes type 2, but it can help to improve overall health. Having a testosterone deficiency can cause many physical, emotional, mental and sexual symptoms. With that said, TRT can help by eliminating a plethora of ailments that go along with diabetes and low T.

Testosterone And Insulin Sensitivity

The connection between low testosterone and diabetes when it comes to insulin sensitivity is real. Many studies have confirmed that low T can promote insulin resistance. When a patient has type 2 diabetes, his or her body will still make insulin, but the body will not respond to it the same way that it used to before they developed the disease. In other words, the body does not utilize the insulin correctly.

Studies have shared that raising testosterone levels (with TRT) can help to treat this insulin sensitivity. It does so by helping the body to increase its response to the insulin that it produces.

Can Testosterone Therapy Treat Diabetes

Several articles have been published that have shown testosterone therapy can treat diabetes. It may not cure it, but it can help ease the symptoms that can make life unbearable as quality of life is diminished. When a person has both low testosterone levels and type 2 diabetes, TRT can be very helpful in minimizing or even eliminating the symptoms that are bothersome.

The good news about both low testosterone and pre diabetes is that they are both reversible. With the correct treatment and the right changes to lifestyle habits, a person can feel even better than they did years prior. All patients of testosterone replacement therapy must qualify for therapy the following:

1. They must be over 30 years old.
2. They must have been tested to have low testosterone levels with the proper blood work.
3. They must have gotten a physical exam and shared their medical history.
4. Our doctors must have analyzed their medical information to determine that therapy would be beneficial for both reversing low testosterone levels and diabetes.

Research that has proven low testosterone therapy can treat diabetes:

• Promising research was done out of the University of Buffalo. The study was double blind and placebo controlled and the subjects were men with type 2 diabetes. They were given low testosterone treatment. Subjects were put into two randomly chosen groups. The first group was given intramuscular injections of testosterone and the other group was given a placebo.

The results were definitive. One third of those who got testosterone injections demonstrated an increase in insulin sensitivity as the body responded favorably to the insulin it naturally produced. They also showed a decrease in excess fat and an increase in lean muscle mass. The placebo group did not show any difference in their condition. There was no doubt within this study that low testosterone does contribute to type 2 diabetes.

• Another study showed a very clear link between low testosterone and diabetes as well. The study resulted with evidence that a third of the males in the study with type 2 diabetes had definite low levels of testosterone. However, with treatment of the correct testosterone injections, the hormone replacement increased testosterone sensitivity, reduced excess fat and increased muscle.
• An article published in Diabetes Care in 2015 was clear to confirm that men who have type 2 diabetes and low testosterone can definitely and significantly benefit from testosterone treatment. TRT can greatly reduce insulin resistance, fat tissue and increase lean muscle tissue as the three major benefits.