BMC Medicine 2013, 11:57 doi:10.1186/1741-7015-11-57
Published: 28 February 2013
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Statins are extensively used for cardiovascular disease prevention. Statins reduce mortality rates more than other lipid-modulating drugs, although evidence from randomized controlled trials also suggests that statins unexpectedly increase the risk of diabetes and improve immune function. Physiologically, statins would be expected to lower androgens because statins inhibit production of the substrate for the local synthesis of androgens and statins' pleiotropic effects are somewhat similar to the physiological effects of lowering testosterone, so we hypothesized that statins lower testosterone.
Methods
A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized trials of statins to test the a priori hypothesis that statins lower testosterone. We searched the PubMed, Medline and ISI Web of Science databases until the end of 2011, using '(Testosterone OR androgen) AND (CS-514 OR statin OR simvastatin OR atorvastatin OR fluvastatin OR lovastatin OR rosuvastatin OR pravastatin)' restricted to randomized controlled trials in English, supplemented by a bibliographic search. We included studies with durations of 2+ weeks reporting changes in testosterone. Two reviewers independently searched, selected and assessed study quality. Two statisticians independently abstracted and analyzed data, using random or fixed effects models, as appropriate, with inverse variance weighting.
Results
Of the 29 studies identified 11 were eligible. In 5 homogenous trials of 501 men, mainly middle aged with hypercholesterolemia, statins lowered testosterone by -0.66 nmol/l (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.14 to -1.18). In 6 heterogeneous trials of 368 young women with polycystic ovary syndrome, statins lowered testosterone by -0.40 nmol/l (95% CI -0.05 to -0.75). Overall statins lowered testosterone by -0.44 nmol/l (95% CI -0.75 to -0.13).
Conclusions
Statins may partially operate by lowering testosterone. Whether this is a detrimental side effect or mode of action warrants investigation given the potential implications for drug development and prevention of non-communicable chronic diseases. See commentary article here http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/58
The complete article is available as a provisional PDF. The fully formatted PDF and HTML versions are in production.
Graham
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5 comments:
Once again a very current study here which clearly warrants further investigations and testing. Whilst many drugs do not necessarily cure the illness but can slow it down and give an improvement to 'lifestyle' you must question the damage that can also occur. Statins are in the news on a weekly basis, well that is how it seems, we do of course rely heavily on our medical team to treat and prescribe as they think best. Perhaps it does help if the patient also tries to keep an awareness to how drugs can affect a condition in ways that you do not first think of. Even when taking the humble aspirin or paracetemol thought should be given to any adverse affects. Is it best just to pop a pill without asking pertinent questions, I don't think so but there are some who clearly do because their medical team said it would be all right.
Just my thoughts you may feel and think differently.
Hi Dave
My faith went out of the window for medics, when the first time I became ill at 57, and became a diabetic, and they me told to eat carbs with every meal. Once I realised how wrong that information was, I double checked everything that was said. I found the sat fat dogma was a complete crock, the cholesterol hypothesis a complete crock, the list of poor information, and what the average medic does not know about controlling diabetes is also very long.
Regards Eddie
Thank you for sharing this information with us! Lots of people specially men are encountered problems in terms of their sex drive and I want to share the testosterone booster.
Declining testosterone levels should not be cause for panic, much less for extreme anxiety. You are still a man despite your lesser sex drive, or your smaller erections within shorter periods, or your lower frequency of nocturnal erections although you may feel otherwise.
Once your testosterone level lowers, your sexual performance is affected, so thus your overall health. It influences your mood, self-confidence and even your perspective towards life.
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