Lower testosterone was modestly linked to later heart failure in men
Results depended on the analysis. Findings in women and comparisons across hormone categories were not statistically significant.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Lower baseline testosterone was associated with later heart failure in men when analyzed continuously, but the evidence was weak and depended on the analysis used. These observational studies cannot establish that low testosterone causes heart failure, or that raising testosterone would prevent it. Nonsignificant results also do not establish an absence of association.
Study designs and populations differed, and follow-up durations are missing. Abstract-only access limits assessment of those differences.
What researchers found
New heart failure in men
Lower versus higher baseline testosterone, separated by 1 standard deviation—a gap based on how widely readings vary. The heart-failure rate at a given time was 1.10 times as high; this is a relative comparison, not absolute risk. Follow-up duration was not reported.
What the review asked
The review combined cohort and nested case-control studies of adults initially free of heart failure. It examined hormone measurements as predictors of later disease; it did not test hormone treatment.
Why the analysis matters
Grouping hormone levels into categories did not reveal statistically significant associations. Sex hormone binding globulin also did not predict heart failure significantly, and the Bayesian analysis supplied weak support for the testosterone association.
The original publication
Impact of Low Testosterone and SHBG Levels on Heart Failure Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Artioli T, Batista LB, Franchini K et al.
Arq Bras Cardiol · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41259548
- Record checked
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