Testosterone Boosts Could Help Prevent COVID-19, Study Finds

It has been shown that low testosterone levels in men may increase their risk for hospitalization due to COVID-19. Conversely, normal production or therapy with this hormone seems protective against severe cases of the virus as well!

Male Hypogonadism is a condition where the testes do not produce enough testosterone, which causes multitude of symptoms: such as low energy, low moods, low muscle recovery, increased fat, low libido, low sexual function, increased musculoskeletal connective tissue injuries, increased blood pressure, cholesterol and sugars, and an overall decline in daily quality of life. Those who have it can also experience decreased Immunity.

The study published in Journal of American Medical Association Network is summarized as follows:

Hypogonadism is a condition in which the testes do not produce enough hormones. For this study, hypo-gonads were defined as total testosterone concentrations below 175 to 300 ng/dL. Those individuals who had levels 300-700ng/dL was labeled as Eugonad.

The study involved 723 men: 116 men with hypogonadism, 427 men with Eugonadism, and 180 men who were receiving testosterone therapy. All of the men included in the analysis were diagnosed with COVID-19, and the average age of the men was 55 years old.

The difference in the rates of COVID-19 hospitalization between Eugonadal men and hypogonadism is striking. Out of all those tested, 45% of Hypogonadism patients were Hospitalized for this virus compared to just 12% of the Eugonad patients. The median testosterone level among those who had low levels (131 ng/dL) versus high ones(381ng/dl), showed that there was clearly something going on here!

The researchers made adjustments for potentially cofounding variables such as age, race/ethnicity (i.e., white versus black), body mass index (BMI) and immunosuppression; however, there were still some key differences between the groups of men studied when it comes to comorbid conditions:

It was found that when testosterone levels were brought up to normal with Testosterone Replacement Therapy, they saw a protective effect against COVID-19 hospitalizations. However, those who were receiving an insufficient dose and still below average had higher risks of being hospitalized. The results show how important it is not only having high enough T level but also knowing what dosage will work best for the particular individual!

The researchers found that low testosterone may be a risk factor for hospitalization due to COVID-19 and could perhaps contribute in some way towards an increased vulnerability of those with lower serum T levels. It is too soon though before we can say whether or not this means patients should start taking therapy drugs such as Testosterone injections or Testosterone Pellet Therapy—a preventative measure against severe cases from coming about since there has been little evidence thus far suggesting it will help stop you getting ill at all!

As our survey within our Practice in Southern California Shows, most of our patients had less severe affects of the covid infection while with optimal Testosterone levels (Average 500-1000ng/dL) vs our patients who had lower levels (150- 400 ng/dL). Generally, the latter patients with lower levels had suffered with their covid infection symptoms longer and more intense than those who had optimized testosterone levels. Furthermore, we had observed less infection rates within our Optimized Testosterone patients vs our Low testosterone patients.