Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro may help reverse low testosterone levels in men with obesity or Type 2 diabetes, according to research presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in San Francisco, NBC News reported July 14.
Researchers at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital analyzed EHRs from 110 men with obesity or Type 2 diabetes who were taking GLP-1s. Testosterone levels were measured before starting the medications and up to 18 months afterward. Nearly half of the participants began with low to low-normal testosterone levels. However, most reached normal levels after treatment.
“The increases we observed were more modest than what you would typically see with testosterone replacement therapy,” said lead author Shellsea Canales, MD, endocrinologist at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital, in an email to the news outlet. “However, they occurred naturally, without testosterone replacement therapy, and likely reflect the body recovering its normal hormone production as weight and insulin resistance improved.”
The study also highlighted a potential need to lower or discontinue testosterone therapy in men whose levels normalize from GLP-1s. Researchers did not assess testosterone levels after stopping the medication, and outcomes may vary if the weight is regained.
