5 Tips for Living Well with Diabetes
Diabetes Awareness Month is a perfect time to focus on your whole-body health. Here are five ways to combat diabetes complications and enhance your wellness.
Heart Health and Hormones: How Low Testosterone Can Affect Men’s Cardiovascular Wellness
Aging affects the body in many ways. For men, hitting 40 means a slow, steady decline in how much testosterone the body produces. From that point on, it tends to decline by 1%-2% each year. For about a third of men, that results in lower-than-normal levels for their age.
That doesn’t just mean decreased muscle mass and a lower sex drive. Experts increasingly link low testosterone (or low T) with a heightened risk of cardiovascular issues.
If you notice signs of lower testosterone levels, see our team at Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute. Because our providers specialize in cardiology and testosterone, we can help you figure out what’s going on — and how it impacts your heart.
At our offices in Covington, Franklinton, or Hammond, Louisiana, we work with men to balance their hormone levels, reducing their cardiovascular risk in the process.
Connecting testosterone levels and heart health
A recent meta-analysis looked at 11 studies with 24,000 subjects. Across those studies, researchers found that when men’s testosterone levels dipped below a certain level, those men had an increased risk of cardiovascular death.
Another study connected low testosterone with heart failure.
In short, evidence linking low T and heart health problems continues to grow. As a result, experts recommend that you monitor yourself for symptoms associated with insufficient testosterone. Doing so can be lifesaving.
When to see a doctor about low T
You probably know about one of the most common symptoms associated with low testosterone levels: low sex drive. But that’s not the only way a drop in this hormone can affect you physically and mentally.
You should also watch for:
- Depression
- Erectile dysfunction
- Fatigue
- Hair loss
- Mood changes
- Muscle mass loss
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
If any of that sounds familiar, visit our team at Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute.
Treatment to balance your hormone levels
We start by finding out if you’re a candidate for hormone therapy. To do that, we discuss your symptoms and review your personal and family medical history. We also perform blood work to check how much testosterone you have in your system.
If you have low testosterone, we tailor a hormone therapy plan to you. That usually means combining replacement hormones with lifestyle changes. Our team works with you to fine-tune the right type and dosage of testosterone to help you feel your best.
To optimize your outcomes — and further protect your heart — we usually recommend pairing your replacement testosterone with lifestyle modifications like:
- Healthy diet
- Good sleep hygiene
- Stress management
- Regular exercise
These can help naturally support better testosterone balance in your body.
If you think you might be living with low testosterone levels, see our team at Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute. Call the office nearest you or schedule an appointment online today.
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