MEN HEALTH

Study Says: Testosterone Levels Are Influenced Based on A Man’s Environment

It has been noticed that the testosterone levels in men living in different areas vary. A few have naturally higher levels of testosterone while others have low levels of testosterone. In short, there is a connection between a man’s situations in life and his testosterone levels. Hormones are affected if factors such as marriage, becoming a father, and other reasons for stress stay in a man’s mind.

Testosterones levels in a man are even influenced by the an environment, not just his genes

The testosterone levels in a man depend on his childhood environment, a study done by Durham University in the United Kingdom says so. This theory is way different from what it is otherwise known about race or genes influencing the hormone levels in every individual.

Hormones of men living in poverty-struck areas differ from men living in Industrialized Areas

According to Kesson Magid, Ph.D., a biological anthropologist at Durham University and lead author of the study, published this week in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the hormone levels in men are affected depending on the area or place they live at.

They studied the environment for men in Europe and compared it with that of the Bangladeshi men to find out if their different environments affect their hormone levels or not and what they assume after the study is that there was a difference either due to the way men reacted to their situations or because of how they were used to living before being adults. That being said, what they found out is that migration before puberty does increase the testosterone levels in men.

While the study hasn’t been able to find out the actual reason for a difference in the hormones. However, they noticed that the environment before puberty affects the testosterone levels in men.

Details about this study

This study picked men from Bangladesh because it is a poor country in the entire world and many people are suffering from nutritional deficiencies here and it clearly shows how difficult survival over there must be.

To not let the aspect of ‘nutritional deficiencies’ influence any decision, the researchers picked Bangladeshi men who came from middle class families where they are not deprived of food due to poverty.

In total, around 359 men participated in this study. These men were picked from the following categories

(i) Men born and brought up in Bangladesh.

(ii) Men who migrated from Bangladesh to the UK in their childhood

(iii) Men who migrated to the UK as they became adults

(iv) Second-generation children born in the UK and brought up in Bangladesh

(v) UK born Europeans

Who had the highest levels of testosterone among this list of Bangladeshis?

Men who migrated from Bangladesh to the UK in their childhood had higher testosterone levels when

compared to men who grew up and lived in Bangladesh as adults. Bangladeshis living in the UK attained puberty at a younger age and were taller to the men originally from Bangladesh.

Why the Difference in The Testosterone Levels?

No 1 – Amount of energy utilized by the body

The amount of energy invested by the body in generating the hormones are what makes all the difference in the hormone levels of men in UK and Bangladesh. If you look at the study, why the Bangladeshi men born and brought up in Bangladesh have lower testosterone levels is because they invest most of their energy to fight against diseases or lack of nutrition in their years of growing up and this leaves less energy for the testosterone levels.

No 2 – Childhood surroundings impact testosterone levels later

Based on the analysis made by this study, it is more of a childhood environment than the environment during youth that influences the testosterone levels. Further, it not the infancy stage but the childhood that counts more in influencing hormone levels.

No 3 – Genes Play A Role

Even genes contribute to the testosterone levels. Even scientific evidence says that testosterone levels and genes are related. Men even inherit the testosterone levels from the men in their families.

After finding out about the testosterone levels. Researchers say that they are at risk of suffering from prostate diseases later in life or they could either be suffering from the symptoms of an enlarged prostate.

These results have created more questions about the testosterone levels decreasing in the men living in the U.S. The other reasons for decreased testosterone levels is due to an increased rate of obesity and too much smoking. Apart from this, there are several other reasons for a fall in the testosterone levels in men. In the end, the researcher, Magid says that the migrant’s children are likely to have low levels of testosterone when compared to their fathers.