Obese men, girls see unusual testosterone levels
December 15, 2006
Obese men often experience
a sharp decline in testosterone levels while obese girls show
much higher levels of the sex hormone than girls of normal
weight.
Testosterone is the primary sex hormone for
men, though it is found in women as well. It helps maintain
muscle mass and bone density and keeps sex drive and physical
energy at healthy levels.
Testosterone levels naturally decline as
men age. But those who put on weight -- as little as 30 pounds
(13.6 kg) for a 6-foot man -- lost as much testosterone as
if they had aged 10 years.
Those who experienced a traumatic event,
such as the loss of a wife, experienced a similar drop in
testosterone levels.
Obese girls going through puberty had the
opposite problem; obese
girls had two to nine times the levels of testosterone as
girls of normal weight.
That could impair reproductive health, lead
to undesirable side effects like excess hair growth, and put
them at greater risk for diabetes.
Source from:
http://news.yahoo.com
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