Can testosterone treatment prevent or even cure diabetes?

There’s no question that type 2 diabetes can wreak havoc on the body. Men in the early stages of having it who also have low testosterone have been shown to benefit from testosterone restoration therapy in many ways, including potentially delaying the progression of their disease, or even reversing it altogether.


Research in Australia published in 2021 showed that men who had indications of type 2 diabetes showed significantly reduced blood sugar levels with testosterone treatment versus men given a placebo. Both groups were put on a lifestyle program as well. 


After two years, the testosterone group had only about half as many members (12%) show high blood sugar levels, versus 21% the placebo group.


Another study in 2019 found that long-term testosterone treatment “completely prevents prediabetes progression to [type 2 diabetes] in men with hypogonadism [low testosterone] and improves glycemia, lipids, and AMS score[s].”


And for men who already had type 2 diabetes, a 2020 study showed that “remission of diabetes occurred in one-third of the patients” who were given testosterone supplementation. In contrast, “no remission of diabetes or reduction in glucose or HbA1c were noted in the control group.”


If you are pre-diabetic, have type 2 diabetes, or think you may be in danger of developing it, visit your doctor to find out if you have low testosterone and might benefit from testosterone restoration therapy. 


For further information, consult the original research here:

Testosterone treatment to prevent or revert type 2 diabetes in men enrolled in a lifestyle programme (T4DM): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2-year, phase 3b trial

Testosterone Therapy in Men With Hypogonadism Prevents Progression From Prediabetes to Type 2 Diabetes: Eight-Year Data From a Registry Study

Remission of type 2 diabetes following long‐term treatment with injectable testosterone undecanoate in patients with hypogonadism and type 2 diabetes: 11‐year data from a real‐world registry study