Public release date: 9-Aug-2007
Researchers from the New England Research Institutes found that while men using statins did indeed have lower blood levels of androgens such as testosterone, it was more likely attributable to poor health rather than the use of statins. Their findings are published in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Hall’s team studied the medical histories of 1,812 men, including 237 statin users, and analyzed their blood for “free” or unbound testosterone, for total testosterone, and for other associated compounds
“In this study, statin use was just a marker for presence of other illnesses,” she said. “This study may inform that debate, however, by suggesting that any protective pathway offered by statins, if it exists, is not through androgen suppression.”