Two journal articles on the therapeutic role testosterone plays in treating type 2 diabetes. Given the increasing prevalence of diabetes and the difficulty most men have making lifestyle changes to mitigate it, I hope we see more doctors prescribing testosterone to their male patients with diabetes. The first article followed men for five years and noted improvements in several clinical markers. The prescribed dose was small, perhaps a larger dose would have led to greater improvements.
"Fourteen patients, who received continuous TRT for 5 years, and 22 controls with 5-year observations were enrolled. The patients in the TRT group had received intramuscular injections of testosterone enanthate (250 mg) every month for 5 years. We collected the following data: blood pressure, fasting blood sugar (FBS), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-Chol values, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) level at baseline, 1-, 3-, and 5-years from initial intervention. These data were compared between the two groups.
"There were no statistically significant differences in any other baseline characteristic, excluding SBP, between the two groups. FBS was significantly improved at 3- and 5-year visits in the TRT group compared to the control group. Furthermore, the HbA1c level and TG value demonstrated a significant decrease at 1-, 3-, and 5-years in the TRT group. However, no significant difference in changes to PSA levels from baseline in both groups was observed."
The second article is a technical look at the mechanism how testosterone affects insulin production in men.
"Severe testosterone deficiency predisposes men to type 2 diabetes (T2D), while in contrast, androgen excess predisposes women to hyperglycemia. The role of androgen deficiency and excess in promoting visceral obesity and insulin resistance in men and women respectively is well established. However, although it is established that hyperglycemia requires β cell dysfunction to develop, the role of testosterone in β cell function is less understood. This review discusses recent evidence that the androgen receptor (AR) is present in male and female β cells. In males, testosterone action on AR in β cells enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by potentiating the insulinotropic action of glucagon-like peptide-1. In females, excess testosterone action via AR in β cells promotes insulin hypersecretion leading to oxidative injury, which in turn predisposes to T2D.
"Taken together, the studies demonstrate that testosterone action via AR is necessary for β cell health and normal GSIS [glucose-stimulated insulin secretion] in male mice, and probably also in men. Therefore, we propose that moderate androgen deficiency in men promotes adiposity and insulin resistance, but with moderate β cell dysfunction, and the incidence of T2D is mild. However, during severe androgen deficiency resulting from ADT [androgen deprivation therapy], men display a more profound β cell dysfunction that further accelerates the progression toward T2D."
"Fourteen patients, who received continuous TRT for 5 years, and 22 controls with 5-year observations were enrolled. The patients in the TRT group had received intramuscular injections of testosterone enanthate (250 mg) every month for 5 years. We collected the following data: blood pressure, fasting blood sugar (FBS), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-Chol values, and prostate specific antigen (PSA) level at baseline, 1-, 3-, and 5-years from initial intervention. These data were compared between the two groups.
"There were no statistically significant differences in any other baseline characteristic, excluding SBP, between the two groups. FBS was significantly improved at 3- and 5-year visits in the TRT group compared to the control group. Furthermore, the HbA1c level and TG value demonstrated a significant decrease at 1-, 3-, and 5-years in the TRT group. However, no significant difference in changes to PSA levels from baseline in both groups was observed."
The second article is a technical look at the mechanism how testosterone affects insulin production in men.
"Severe testosterone deficiency predisposes men to type 2 diabetes (T2D), while in contrast, androgen excess predisposes women to hyperglycemia. The role of androgen deficiency and excess in promoting visceral obesity and insulin resistance in men and women respectively is well established. However, although it is established that hyperglycemia requires β cell dysfunction to develop, the role of testosterone in β cell function is less understood. This review discusses recent evidence that the androgen receptor (AR) is present in male and female β cells. In males, testosterone action on AR in β cells enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion by potentiating the insulinotropic action of glucagon-like peptide-1. In females, excess testosterone action via AR in β cells promotes insulin hypersecretion leading to oxidative injury, which in turn predisposes to T2D.
"Taken together, the studies demonstrate that testosterone action via AR is necessary for β cell health and normal GSIS [glucose-stimulated insulin secretion] in male mice, and probably also in men. Therefore, we propose that moderate androgen deficiency in men promotes adiposity and insulin resistance, but with moderate β cell dysfunction, and the incidence of T2D is mild. However, during severe androgen deficiency resulting from ADT [androgen deprivation therapy], men display a more profound β cell dysfunction that further accelerates the progression toward T2D."
