Post-Meal Blood Sugar Spikes Lower Testosterone Levels

There was a report at the Endocrine Society meeting that showed testosterone levels changing according to the blood sugar level at the time of measurement. An Irish study was done on 42 men with normal blood sugar levels, 23 with pre-diabetes, and 9 with type 2 diabetes. The men had their testosterone measured up to 2 hours after drinking a sugar solution (75 grams of glucose, as used in an oral glucose tolerance test).

Regardless of whether they had diabetes, pre-diabetes, or nothing, the men’s testosterone levels dropped by up to 25% for more than 2 hours after the sugar drink. This resulted in 15% of the men with normal testosterone levels having blood samples taken with a low testosterone level at some point (i.e. below the lower limit of normal).

The bottom line? If you’ve had a testosterone test and the result was ‘too low’, ask your doctor to do it again on a fasting blood sample; and this should be in the morning, when levels are normally at their highest. You don’t want to be prescribed a testosterone supplement if it’s not necessary. . .