Unhealthy Habits Speed Aging For Men

As men age, they experience a natural decline in the male hormone testosterone. But a new study finds that unhealthy habits may hasten that process. Excessive drinking, being a couch potato and being overweight are major factors.

Even a fairly small increase in body mass index, for example, is associated with a drop in testosterone like that normaly associated with 10 years of aging, researchers said. And that can put men at increased risk for diabetes, reduced bone and muscle mass and sexual problems.

Results suggest that changes in health and lifestyle might slow the drop in testosterone, the authors wrote. The researchers followed the health of more than 1,600 men in the Boston area over a period of about 17 years.

These results presented here suggest that while hormone declines appear to be an integral aspect of the aging process, rapid declines need not be dismissed as inevitable.