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 .
Relationship between androgenic hormones and arterial stiffness, based on longitudinal hormone measurements.
Circulating testosterone levels ( T ) decrease with age in men . Low T has been associated with coronary disease and with risk factors for atherosclerosis . This study examines the relationship in men between and rogenic hormones and arterial stiffness , a major risk factor for cardiovascular events . T , sex hormone-binding globulin ( SHBG ) , and dehydroepi and rosterone sulfate ( DHEAS ) were measured longitudinally over 33 yr ( follow-up 11.8 + /- 8.3 yr ) in 901 men from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging , of whom 206 ( 68.1 + /- 13.7 yr ) underwent carotid duplex ultrasonography .  The 901 men were used to characterize age-associated hormone levels by means of mixed-effects models . Hormone values were estimated for the 206 men at the time of ultrasonography . Free T index ( FTI ) was calculated by dividing T by SHBG . The arterial stiffness index was calculated from peak systolic and end diastolic diameters of the common carotid artery and simultaneous brachial artery blood pressure . T , FTI , and DHEAS were correlated negatively with age , pulse pressure ( PP ) , and stiffness index ( each P < 0.01 ) , whereas SHBG was correlated positively with age and stiffness index ( P < 0.01 ) . However , T was the only hormone that predicted the stiffness index after adjustment for age , PP , fasting plasma glucose , body mass index , and total cholesterol . T values 5 - 10 yr before the carotid study also predicted the stiffness index ( P < 0.05 ) . Thus the adverse influence of low T on the cardiovascular system in men may be mediated in part via the effects of T on vascular structure and function
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 .