Study links testosterone replacement to higher risk of death

The US researchers followed more than 8700 men who had low levels of the hormone, of whom 1223 took a testosterone supplement after having coronary angiography in the retrospective cohort study.

Three years later, nearly one in five of the men who had not taken a supplement had a myocardial infarction, a stroke, or had died.

That figure jumped to one in four among the group who had been treated with testosterone – an overall increased risk of almost 30%.

The increased risk of catastrophic events was especially notable because "the men who were taking testosterone in this study were slightly healthier to begin with", said Associate Professor Anne Cappola, a researcher of the University of Pennsylvania.

The group that took testosterone had a lower proportion of  coronary artery obstruction and less hypertension, congestive heart failure and prior myocardial infarction.

They also tended to be younger – they had an