If you have erectile dysfunction (ED), a clue to a solution could be as simple as asking your doctor to give you a blood test. If this test says you are deficient in one hormone, treatment with this hormone can help fix your ED. And it might even lower your cholesterol and control diabetes.
The test is a simple hormone panel for testosterone. Its common for men over age 50 to have a testosterone deficiency.
A recent study shows what the hormone can do for ED. In the study, researchers followed 2,794 men aged 25 to 80. These men had complained of ED. They also had their testosterone levels checked. The researchers controlled for other factors, such as age, diabetes, cholesterol, anemia, kidney function, and PSA.
Male hormone deficiency was rather common. Of those tested, 47% of the men had testosterone levels less than 400 ng/dL. Another 7% were less than a low, low 200 ng/dL. Uncontrolled diabetes, age, high cholesterol, and anemia all correlated with the low testosterone.
This study shows that theres an easy treatment for men – hormone replacement therapy. It also tends to support my views on cholesterol. Please note that the researchers found low testosterone correlates with high cholesterol. Testosterone is made from cholesterol, the raw material.
Ive always been suspicious that a high level of cholesterol might be your compensation for declining testosterone. Feeding more raw material to the testicles might keep up production. If you are taking a statin, you might want to reconsider.
If you have high cholesterol, get your testosterone level checked. Quite possibly, hormone replacement with testosterone might lower cholesterol if the elevated level is your way to try to get more male hormone production.
Ref: Urology, Volume 71, Issue 4, Pages 693-697 (April 2008).