Age of study population and year of publication modified the relationship between testosterone and CVD .
Results were largely confirmed by separate analyses of free- and bioavailable testosterone .
The systematic review displayed no association between endogenous testosterone and risk for CVD in middle-aged men .
In elderly men , testosterone may weakly protect against CVD .
Alternatively , low testosterone may indicate a poor general health
CONTEXT The literature provides no clear answer as to whether low endogenous testosterone increases risk of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) in healthy men .
OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to estimate the predictive value of testosterone for CVD and to identify study features explaining conflicting results .
Usefulness of sex steroid hormone levels in predicting coronary artery disease in men.
The relation between sex hormone levels and subsequent risk of a major coronary event was studied in a nested case-control study among 163 men in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial who later had a major coronary event and in 163 controls . Cases and controls were matched for age , serum cholesterol level , r and omization group , r and omization date and clinic . Blood sample s were collected at baseline before r and omization and frozen at -70 degrees C. Follow-up extended over 6 to 8 years . Sixty-one patients had a nonfatal acute myocardial infa rct ion and 102 fatal infa rct ion .  Total and free testosterone , total and free estradiol , and rostenedione and estrone concentrations were measured . There were no significant differences between cases and controls for any sex hormone level . There was also no difference in the ratio of testosterone to estradiol . Controlling for other cardiovascular risk factors did not change these results . These results do not support previous case-control studies of a relation between sex hormone levels and risk of heart attack among men
Age of study population and year of publication modified the relationship between testosterone and CVD .
Results were largely confirmed by separate analyses of free- and bioavailable testosterone .
The systematic review displayed no association between endogenous testosterone and risk for CVD in middle-aged men .
In elderly men , testosterone may weakly protect against CVD .
Alternatively , low testosterone may indicate a poor general health
CONTEXT The literature provides no clear answer as to whether low endogenous testosterone increases risk of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) in healthy men .
OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to estimate the predictive value of testosterone for CVD and to identify study features explaining conflicting results .