Malcolm Carruthers
Centre for Men's Health, UK
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Diabetes Metab
Despite the many apparent positive effects of testosterone in diabetes there is a remarkable reluctance to use it, particularly in the UK and Australia. This irrational fear of TRT, which might be termed 'hormonophobia' is based largely on a few poorly designed and interpreted epidemiological studies and ignores a mass of positive results from clinical studies in the following conditions: Metabolic syndrome - weight loss, improvements in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, reduced insulin resistance and percentage of body fat, and a beneficial effects on glycemic control, leptin, cholesterol, and inflammatory markers, with lowered blood pressure; Cardiovascular disease - slowing or even reversal of atherosclerosis, decreased intimal thickening, reduction of risk factors.; Erectile dysfunction - increased effectiveness of pde5 inhibitors, restoration of penile architecture with reduction of venous leakage and increased libido; Peripheral vascular disease - Dilatation of small blood vessels and capillary circulation, with increased numbers and activity of epithelial progenitor cells; Diabetic retinopathy - prevention and treatment of this complication particularly in older diabetic men based on the above metabolic and circulatory changes is speculative at present, but its effects could easily be established by observed by retinal photographs and visual acuity studies of diabetic patients on TRT for other indications; Dementia - Both cardiovascular and Alzheimer's types are more common in diabetics and have been called type three diabetes - Studies are starting in both Australia and Russia for the prevention and treatment of these types of dementia with testosterone; Death As well as the treatment and prevention of the complications of diabetes there is evidence of the prolongation of the healthy lifespan of diabetics with testosterone treatment. The combined benefits to mental and physical health of the diabetic should make the long-term treatment of the majority of male diabetics with testosterone quite routine.
Malcolm Carruthers is the Founder and Chief Medical Consultant at the Centre for Men's Health and Adjunct Professor at the Alzheimer's and Aging Department, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and life member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). He is also President of the Society for the Study of Androgen Deficiency (Andropause Society), a member of the British Cardiovascular Society, the European Academy of Andrology, the International and European Societies for the Study of the Aging Male and a past President of the Society for Psychosomatic Research. Alongside over 100 refereed papers in medical journals and editorials in the American Heart Journal, he is the author of, “The Testosterone Revolution” (published by Thorson's/HarperCollins in 2001) and “ADAM: Androgen Deficiency in the Adult Male - Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment”, second edition published by Authorhouse Books 2016 and “Testosterone Resistance: Fighting for the Men's Health Hormone” Xlibris 2016.
Email: m.carruthers@btconnect.com
