Use It (Testosterone) or Lose It – Type 2 Diabetes

Men with type 2 diabetes and low testosterone levels have been shown to benefit from testosterone restoration therapy. How? Over time, their blood sugar levels have decreased in response to testosterone replacement. 


But a study from 2021 shows that this beneficial effect is only achieved when men keep to their prescribed testosterone program. In other words, if you aren’t consistent, your blood sugar level  (HbA1c) will not fall.


It doesn’t matter what your body mass index (BMI), age, or baseline blood sugar levels are – having a normal (or better yet, optimized) level of testosterone will reduce blood sugar in men with type 2 diabetes who also have hypogonadism (low testosterone). 


The lesson is that if you have type 2 diabetes and low testosterone, first of all, seek medical help to find out if you would quality for testosterone restoration therapy, and if so, made sure you adhere to the program you’re prescribed to ensure you see the benefit. 


For further information, consult the original research here:

Elderly men over 65 years of age with late-onset hypogonadism benefit as much from testosterone treatment as do younger men

Effects of testosterone treatment on glucose metabolism and symptoms in men with type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials

Metabolic effects of testosterone replacement therapy on hypogonadal men with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The response to testosterone undecanoate in men with type 2 diabetes is dependent on achieving threshold serum levels (the BLAST study)

Long-Term Testosterone Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Is Associated with Decreasing Waist Circumference and Improving Erectile Function

Effects of testosterone replacement therapy withdrawal and re-treatment in hypogonadal elderly men upon obesity, voiding function and prostate safety parameters

Effects of intermission and resumption of long-term testosterone replacement therapy on body weight and metabolic parameters in hypogonadal in middle-aged and elderly men

Adherence to medication

Glycemic benefits with adherence to testosterone therapy in men with hypogonadism and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, and the development of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged men: prospective results from the Massachusetts male aging study

Summary of Revisions: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2022

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

Patient medication adherence: measures in daily practice

Long-Term Testosterone Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes Is Associated with Decreasing Waist Circumference and Improving Erectile Function

Differential effects of 11 years of long-term injectable testosterone undecanoate therapy on anthropometric and metabolic parameters in hypogonadal men with normal weight, overweight and obesity in comparison with untreated controls: real-world data from a controlled registry study

The response to testosterone undecanoate in men with type 2 diabetes is dependent on achieving threshold serum levels (the BLAST study)

Factors associated with persistent poorly controlled diabetes mellitus: clues to improving management in patients with resistant poor control