Testosterone is not associated with prostate cancer risk

 Natural level of testosterone in the blood does not affect the risk of prostate cancer (prostate), although this was once thought. This information should encourage scientists to ensure that take a fresh look at the problem of prostate cancer.

More than two dozen clinical studies have been devoted to the relationship between testosterone and prostate cancer risk. However, research is not conclusive.

Epidemiologist Andrew Roddam (University of Oxford, UK) and colleagues analyzed data collected from around the world. Scientists interested in the level of testosterone in men, sick or diseased prostate cancer (3886 men and 6438 respectively). Prostate cancer usually affects older men. This disease is the second leading cause of cancer death in men (at first - lung cancer).

"We compared the level of testosterone in men who develop prostate cancer later, and those who are not ill. Was found that between hormone levels and the risk of the disease there is no connection," - says Andrew Roddam. Testosterone - is the main male hormone responsible for the development of muscle mass, fat distribution, bone mass, sex drive and potency. In females testosterone is also present, but its level is much lower.

The role of testosterone in maintaining men's health is controversial. Testosterone promotes the growth of prostate cancer, so the scientists thought that hormone levels affect the risk of the disease. Some types of prostate cancer by blocking the action of testosterone.
Last year, it was proved that men with higher testosterone levels less likely to die from heart attacks, strokes, and other factors. A study conducted by British epidemiologists, should lead scientists to search for new risk factors.

"These findings require the scientific community to reject an attractive and convenient hypothesis seriously and to study these modifiable risk factors," - said the new study Paul Godley (University of North Carolina, USA).