Metabolic syndrome in men

As men age, a decline takes place in the level of  male hormones, putting them at a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of risk factors for heart disease and type-2 diabetes. Its symptoms include high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, increased belly size, high levels of triglycerides and low blood levels of good cholesterol. The natural decline in the level of male hormones with aging leads to various physical and mental changes, increasing the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.To assess the relationship between lower androgen levels and metabolic syndrome, researchers at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore studied 618 men (with the average age of 63 years) and the amount of male hormones circulating in their blood, for a period of 5.8 years. The results showed an association between lower androgen levels and higher risk of metabolic syndrome. Amongst the subjects, those who developed metabolic syndrome had lower androgen levels, specifically levels of sex hormone binding globulin and total testosterone. The distribution of the syndrome by age was 4 percent in men between 20 and 39 years, rising to 21 percent of men between 40 and 79, and then declining slightly to 18 percent for men 80 to 94 years old.Thus, as men age, they need to take care of changes brought along with lower male hormones.