Study: Low Vitamin D Linked to Testosterone Levels

In healthy middle-aged men, low levels of vitamin D were linked to low levels of testosterone, according to a recent study.

“It has been well established that vitamin D plays in an important role in bone metabolism, but within the last decade vitamin D has been shown be associated with the inflammatory cascade as well as immune-modulating properties,” wrote the study’s authors.
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“Numerous studies have implicated low vitamin D levels in increased overall mortality, cardiovascular (CV) and cancer mortality,” they explained.

For the study, researchers evaluated blood samples from 824 men to determine total testosterone and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

Researchers defined hypovitaminosis D (low levels of vitamin D) as a 25-hydroxyvitamin D level under 30.0 ng/L

After using the Framingham 10-year cardiovascular risk score as a proxy for the cardiovascular risk factor in the participants, researchers discovered that 68.3% of the samples showed low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

On average, those with low levels of vitamin D were younger, had less favorable lipid profiles, and had a higher BMI than those with normal vitamin D levels.

Lower total testosterone levels were found in men with low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D compared to men who had normal levels (319.6341 vs.7 ng/L; P = .012), and remained significantly lower even after adjustment for the Framingham 10-year risk score.

“There is a significant association between hypovitaminosis D and total testosterone among this population of asymptomatic middle-aged men independent of cardiac risk. It is important to evaluate vitamin D levels in men having low total testosterone,” they concluded.

The complete study was presented on Sunday, May 17, 2015 at the American Urological Association 2015 Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

-Michelle Canales Butcher

Reference:
Iyenger R, Maceda C, Beebe H, et al. Association between testosterone, vitamin D, and cardiovascular risk. Paper presented at: American Urological Association 2015 Annual Meeting. May 17, 2015; New Orleans, LA.