Risks associated with testosterone vary by sex

2020/02/12 Gallego Moya, Juanma - Kazetaria Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Berdintasuna
• Medikuntza
• Genetika

400

 

So far, the results of the major research that studies the relationship between the level of testosterone hormone and certain diseases have been presented, and have shown significant differences by sex. According to data, a high testosterone level increases the risk of breast and endometrial cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Similarly, in women the risk of PCOS increases by 51%.

In the case of other metabolic diseases this effect can be unfavorable depending on sex. Thus, researchers have found that a high level of hormones increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women by 37%, while in men this risk decreases by 14%.

Researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Exeter (UK) have presented their results in the journal Nature Medicine. The study was based on data from the UK Biobank that collects the genomes of 425,097 people and analyzed 2,571 genetic variables that regulate testosterone level. In light of the data and considering that in the case of diabetes the effects are totally different depending on sex, the researchers have underlined the need for hormone-related studies to be analyzed separately between women and men.