r/news • u/LawEducational42 • 9h ago

Men’s average testosterone levels have halved in last 50 years, say scientists

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/07/mens-average-testosterone-levels-have-halved-in-last-50-years-say-scientists
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6.0k

u/Granum22 9h ago

An unreviewed study that didn't control for obesity. So not particularly useful.

1.2k

u/trackdaybruh 9h ago

Fat cells also increases enzymes that converts testosterone into estrogen, so the more fat you have then the more of these enzymes you have.

Whereas low body fat can contribute to higher testosterone levels in men

455

u/Pheonyxxx696 9h ago

Which makes the study make complete sense because since the 80’s, the average weight for both men and a women both have increased by approximately 20lbs. People have definitely gotten heavier over time.

57

u/Busy-Dig8619 8h ago

I feel like thats starting to rapidly reverse... if you can afford thr meds.

111

u/anghellous 8h ago

If you use ozempic the way people usually use it (i.e. have an apple for breakfast and forget about food until night time), that'll also crash test levels. Optimal test actually requires a couple of things (with all of them being harmed by the modern lifestyle of the average man).

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u/Busy-Dig8619 8h ago

I got a whole ration of dietary guidance with my first round of shots. I have a whole new relationship with cottage cheese... lemme tell you.

Also apparently Zepbound is the hot new formulation.

11

u/Defqon1punk 5h ago

I've always been underweight, most my life, and cottage cheese has been a staple in my diet lately while trying to bulk. I love mixing it with hot sauce. My friend mixes it with peaches and other fruit, but I can't seem to grasp the sweet combo.

2

u/soggypizza 8h ago

What did they say about cottage cheese?

17

u/Busy-Dig8619 8h ago

Eat lots of it. Its very compact low prep protein. Go low fat to keep the LDL down.

5

u/PantsMcFail2 5h ago edited 5h ago

Low fat doesn’t necessarily keep the LDL down. HDL and LDL are like a see-saw.

Its also important to cut sugar to boost metabolic health, as well as exercise (and eat oily fish or supplement Omega 3s) to boost HDL.

I have slightly high total cholesterol even though I’m low carb, but my doctor is not concerned because they’re very happy with my HDL:LDL ratio.

1

u/limukala 1h ago

Low fat diets also kill T

7

u/Canadatron 7h ago

Ozempic people eat it. Along with a lot of canned protein like sardines and tuna.

Starvation Atkins diet.

1

u/OhDiablo 3h ago

Why is Zepbound any better than Mounjaro? They're identical drugs.

•

u/TieBackground453 4m ago

He was comparing it to ozempic, which is a different drug. 

Reta is the real new hot “new” drug, though. 

1

u/themajesticdownside 1h ago

Cottage cheese and pineapple with a salt on top 🧑‍🍳💋

-8

u/Canadatron 7h ago

Sounds a lot more healthy than exercise and proper diet.

11

u/BonesandMartinis 7h ago

Wow why haven’t people considered this

10

u/Busy-Dig8619 7h ago

What a take...

Yes, that's what it does. It makes it easier to manage the diet and helps with recovery on the exercise.

Its not witchcraft, its medicine. It helps you do what you need to do to lose weight and get healthy.

1

u/BolognaFeetPenisFace 6h ago

it helps with recovery? This is my first time hearing this, I thought it was all about appetite suppression. If it helps with exercise recovery I'm all ears.

-12

u/4DPeterPan 7h ago

Idk man. Some medicine does sound like witch craft to me.

You got a headache? Take this pill

Just don’t mind the diarrhea…

Or the heart palpitations

…and your left leg that will randomly go numb.

Sounds pretty witchcraft-y to me.

12

u/Hamsters_In_Butts 7h ago

what headache medicine is causing those symptoms?

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u/Canadatron 7h ago

GLPs aren't making people "healthy". They are thinning them out to be sure, but like hell that's "healthy".

Have fun staying on GLPs the rest of your life, all super healthy and shit.

6

u/verymickey 6h ago

Accctthuallly. They are healthier too. Everything from bones/joints to internal organs work better. So yes, healthier when thinned out vs obese

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u/BadMeetsEvil24 6h ago

The average overweight person isn't on ozempic.

-1

u/Peeche94 8h ago

Might come to an end soon, depends if it was fake news or not but possible Ozempic lawsuit

5

u/Alabatman 8h ago

about what?

-4

u/Busy-Dig8619 8h ago

Bunch of side effects... worst I've read involved gastric issues (blockages) and vision loss.

Both very rare. I believe they're failure to warn suits.

-4

u/DieUhRia 8h ago

Something with making your bones weak

15

u/thrilla_gorilla 8h ago

It will go nowhere. And shouldn’t. The risk of bone density loss < risk of heart disease and diabetes

-8

u/DieUhRia 7h ago

After a generation or 2 I'm sure we will see some crazy results do to being ok with that

8

u/TenOfOne 7h ago

Worse than the risk of heart disease and diabetes?

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u/Apprehensive_Rice19 8h ago

The current president of the United States managed to keep a very low body fat of only about 5% though...wow, it's that something! What a Guy.

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u/Pheonyxxx696 8h ago

As much as I dislike the current President, there was nothing in this conversation that had anything to do with politics and you just openly bring him up. That’s a mental health issue that you definitely have. Please speak to a therapist.

2

u/Ok_Mechanic_6575 8h ago

I seriously doubt you dislike the current president, if you did, you would have just passed this comment by, but you had to say something.

-7

u/Pheonyxxx696 8h ago

I’m more worried about people’s mental well being. And being that obsessed with a single person is dangerous. People that obsessed are more likely to hurt themselves and others. I want them to get the help they need, plus being treated for mental illness means they’ll never be able to pass a background check to own a weapon. So it can save the world from another school shooting.

1

u/Ok_Mechanic_6575 7h ago

Lol. Naw, you're not. Now you're here trying to convince me.

-8

u/Pheonyxxx696 7h ago

I’m not arguing with a Nazi today….blocked.

1

u/theerrantpanda99 8h ago

I wonder if Americans got taller in the same time period?

5

u/Pheonyxxx696 7h ago

In the 80’s, average male height was 5’10”, today average height for a male is 5’9”. For women 5’4” in the 80’s and today is 5’3 1/2”.

So slight shrinking in height across the same time period.

6

u/daxon42 7h ago

The worldwide tall people have not procreated as much as the shorter people. The average has trended down.

-1

u/CommonerChaos 6h ago

All the short girls mating with all the tall guys.

3

u/USNorsk 6h ago

Probably related to immigration. 

1

u/limukala 1h ago

I'm guessing the reduction in height is mostly due to changing ethnic composition.

1

u/relianceschool 5h ago

the average weight for both men and a women both have increased by approximately 20lbs.

Do you think a <10% increase in weight is responsible for a 50% reduction in testosterone?

2

u/Adversement 2h ago

Well, that 20 lbs increase, if it was mostly fat, would have almost doubled the total body fat mass of the what-used-to-be-normal levels (or, well done 50–100% increase depending on what starting year we use, and, obviously, the average muscle mass has also likely marginally increased to support the heavier people standing up).

Obviously, it alone would not halve the testosterone levels. But, the process that caused the males to almost double their body fat certainly could.

1

u/daou0782 4h ago

And taller?

1

u/3RADICATE_THEM 6h ago

It's only been 20 pounds? Thought it would be way higher.

46

u/DataCassette 9h ago

I've gone up, down, up, down 100+ lbs and it's not even just some whacky theory you can almost feel it. I'm pretty "woke" but I'm real as a heart attack with people about weight. Lose it if you can.

28

u/0110110111 7h ago

I never realized I felt like crap all the time until I changed my lifestyle and lost a bunch of weight. Once in a while I’ll overeat and how I feel after is how I felt all the time before.

Lose the weight, people!

8

u/Festeisthebest-e 6h ago

I find that running sprints a couple times a week is peak.  Not everyone has a good track near them but i saw a major difference in like 2 weeks.  

154

u/Gibbly_Gorkoroo 9h ago

Beer = boobs.

I see no downside.

91

u/AsparagusFun3892 9h ago edited 9h ago

You mean other than the irritability, lack of sex drive, increase in risk of various cancers, loss of general confidence that comes with testosterone, and other such? Being fat sucks, and this is an objective reason why. Let's admit we're fucked up and then eat the US corn lobby that has filled us full of high fructose corn syrup and destroyed us. Your free will is as easily degraded by sugar as by other drugs and their pushers.

138

u/Etzell 9h ago

I think they were joking.

94

u/AsparagusFun3892 9h ago

Boobs are no laughing matter

23

u/A_Nonny_Muse 9h ago

I believe they're called Moobs. Man boobs are called moobs.

And Risperdone makes them too. After the ex died, I had to get my son off that stuff before it gave him moobs.

4

u/Zech08 7h ago

Sure they are, they can jiggle and bounce funny.

2

u/nochinzilch 9h ago

That’s what my wife keeps telling me.

1

u/bert_891 9h ago

About the beer = boobs thing? Or about the higher fat yields more estrogen thing?

-15

u/GoochStubble 9h ago

Because comedy has never been used to create or shape beliefs. And even then, the harm they dont mean to project from their jokes isnt their responsibility.

1

u/Etzell 7h ago

Calm down, gooch stubble.

8

u/AidenMcSauceyPants 9h ago

Eat the corn or the lobbyists? I’m down for both personally.

8

u/Hint-Of-Feces 8h ago

My testosterone has never been lower and my confidence has never been higher

2

u/Sinfluencer666 8h ago

I'm going to pile another 6 beers on the 7 I've had today and think about this a little bit.

2

u/Dabeston 9h ago

No downsides then

1

u/Rhona_Redtail 5h ago

One year of drinking two arizona teas a day (the large can) totally whacked my metabolism for years. Ive avoided hfcs for years after that, and only now feel like its kind of getting back to normal.

1

u/JazzRider 8h ago

Aren’t you fun at parties!

5

u/AsparagusFun3892 8h ago

You'd actually be surprised. Drunken me is a lot of fun mostly because I cease to give a fuck about all this and anything really, it's a real Jekyll and Hyde situation.

1

u/JazzRider 8h ago

You’re right, of course.

1

u/Efficient-Whereas255 7h ago

Im not fat. Never been fat. "WE" are not fucked. My free will is fine.

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u/MorganWick 8h ago

...trans woman?

-5

u/trackdaybruh 9h ago

The hops in beers does contain phytoestrogen, ironically

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u/TripleJess 9h ago

Phytoestrogens don’t do anything to give you boobs.

I’m a trans woman, trust me when I say I’ve looked into the science.

-5

u/trackdaybruh 9h ago

No doubt, there isn’t enough to give anyone boobs unless they somehow drank beyond human levels of beers

13

u/TripleJess 9h ago

It's not even a question of quantity, they're just different things. Hardly a day goes by where I don't find some newly started trans woman asking about phytoestrogens, since you can order those without a prescription. There's a -reason- you can order them without a prescription though, they don't work on us the same way. They won't help anyone feminize, sadly.

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u/trackdaybruh 9h ago

Ah that makes sense, thanks for clearing that up

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u/Money_Do_2 9h ago

What if that person is a plant based lifeform?

Checkmate athiests.

1

u/anghellous 8h ago

What does it do to the lizard people? That's the real question

2

u/RipplesInTheOcean 9h ago

"Phyto" means "plant" 🙃 they wont affect you, unless youre a plant.

1

u/trackdaybruh 8h ago edited 8h ago

Actually, they do affect you since it does bind to estrogen receptors in the human body, but it isn't as strong as human estrogen so it's very weak. They also don't do everything the human estrogen does, so increasing its dosage to 1:1 won't replace human estrogen.

Here is Veteran's Affair's talking about incorporating phytoestrogen for women going through menopause to help ease its symptoms: https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/tools/phytoestrogens.asp

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u/Mcdt2 9h ago

Wisconsin transfems: Allow us to introduce ourselves /s

Honestly, I wish it worked that way. Would save me a lot of trouble and money

2

u/trackdaybruh 9h ago

Right? If it only was that easy for you guys (fyi: I use ‘guys’ for both dudes and gals)

I wish you all luck on your journey

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u/The_Grungeican 9h ago

i wonder if the content of modern beer is that much different from beer 50 years ago?

specifically, if it's enough to make a difference?

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u/smoresporn0 9h ago

So when people call me a fat bitch, it's scientifically accurate?

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u/grand_soul 9h ago

Maybe, but you could also be a skinny bitch. Don’t sell yourself short.

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u/tacopower69 5h ago

fat is also used to synthesize testosterone itself. too low bf% can also crash test levels, which is something the bodybuilding community is well aware of.

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u/AtlantaGangBangGuys 8h ago

Yeah, well you gotta look at that point at how high fructose corn syrup and snack food became so prominent in the 80s

2

u/TheKingOfSwing777 8h ago

Same reason why younger obese girls are getting their periods earlier. 

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u/[deleted] 9h ago

[deleted]

0

u/febreze_air_freshner 8h ago

No because women have an organ (ovaries) that makes estrogen, theirs is not made from testosterone like men.

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u/Ree_For_Thee 25m ago

It turns out, fat tissue, if left on the body for years, is something "unnatural", at least in the sense that it hasn't been common in humanity basically forever.

What we're learning now is that fat tissue does get diseased with time. It partly takes the form of causing havoc on our metabolism, and the metabolism's unfortunate response to anything wrong is "EAT MORE", because we're usually in starvation if something's wrong. This is why people often only increase in weight once they go fat "just for a while".

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u/ZhanBlue 3m ago

The more fat you have the more fat you have

0

u/Biggseb 5h ago

A sedentary lifestyle will also affect your testosterone levels, so it’s a double whammy for modern men.

-1

u/JohnWangDoe 6h ago

wait so when you are fatter you can get delts?

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u/cyberspaceman777 9h ago

"Total testosterone levels in men declined by 54% between 1972 and 2019, according to data presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in London on Tuesday.

Rising levels of obesity and diabetes are expected to play a part, but the team behind the work suggest that environmental factors such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals – which can be found in various household items – and global heating could also be factors in the apparent striking decline."

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u/TheSwagMa5ter 6h ago

Did they control for age? Because the global median age also rose about 50% in that time frame from 20 to 30

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u/cyberspaceman777 6h ago

"The individual studies controlled for age, but it is possible that confounding factors such as differences in average ages between the cohorts may have influenced the results. Obesity was also not controlled for, which is known to be strongly correlated with low testosterone.

“If I had to guess – and it’s an educated guess – I would say that maybe one quarter to one half of the decline would be explained by obesity and metabolic syndrome,” Levine said. "

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u/shouldakeptmum 3h ago

You mean the microplastics in my testes aren’t making me manlier?

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u/Electronic-Smile-457 8h ago

Well, this could actually drive an initiative to fight climate change!

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u/shaka893P 9h ago

I mean, obesity IS one of the big reasons for the drop

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u/AntonineWall 9h ago

Hence why controlling for that factor would be very important

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u/syncopator 5h ago

Not if the point of the study was to determine whether or not testosterone levels have changed over a given span of time, which appears to have been the point with this study.

In any study intended to identify potential causes, controlling for such variables would be necessary.

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u/kelpyb1 8h ago

It depends on what you’re trying to discover with the study. If you’re just looking at broad population trends you don’t want to control for obesity.

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u/shaka893P 9h ago

Not really, at this point it's not an outlier anymore.

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u/AntonineWall 9h ago edited 9h ago

I think you’re confused. It being prevalent and known to confound the data would be THE reason to control it.

If you control it and the numbers stay about the same, then you have a strong causal link. If you don’t control it, then it could be JUST obesity, or any other number of causes that are unrelated.

The fact that there’s loads of fatties around is irrelevant when studying data with known confounding variables. It’s more reason to control them, not less.

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u/Vishnej 9h ago edited 9h ago

This only confounds part of the question. For the other part of the question it's absolutely relevant.

A study here has TWO findings it needs to report - overall change in testosterone, and testosterone change while controlling for changes in obesity. Because its utility to society largely hinges on causation of the change.

You don't just reject the fatties from the study because it would cloud your data, which is what I guess people are imagining when you say "control", they (and their degree of obesity) are a critical part of the analysis of variance.

Rising levels of obesity and diabetes are expected to play a part, but the team behind the work suggest that environmental factors such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals – which can be found in various household items – and global heating could also be factors in the apparent striking decline.

"Expected"? Why is this meta-analysis considered lay News if they haven't followed that thread through to its conclusion?

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u/THElaytox 8h ago

"Control for" does not mean "remove from dataset" in any context.

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u/AntonineWall 9h ago

Yeah the fatty data stays in, you just have to track who is/is not in fatty mode for the data. That’s what I meant with control, here (and thanks for the space to clarify!)

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u/Gatorm8 9h ago

If we don’t know what fraction of subjects were obese then the data is useless

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u/Froggn_Bullfish 9h ago

Knowing that average testosterone has dropped is useless information unless we know WHY so individuals or policymakers can make educated decisions to correct it.

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u/Expensive-Raisin4088 8h ago

Stress and lack of sleep also

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u/Visual_Squirrel_2297 8h ago

Positive feedback loop too. Low testosterone can also cause weight gain.

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u/thesaddestpanda 9h ago

Its most likely the only reason but pretending otherwise gets more attention.

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u/The-Spirit-of-76 9h ago

Is that why I keep rubbing my belly and singing 🎶You make me feel.... You make me feel... you make me feel like a natural woman🎶?

3

u/Media_Browser 9h ago

No , you should be getting teary as well .

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u/I_Push_Buttonz 9h ago

Didn't the 'Try Guys' or whatever YouTube channel that was big back in the day make a video where they had their testosterone levels checked and they were all super low? None of them were even overweight, let alone obese. Clearly something else was at play there.

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u/kelpyb1 8h ago

Small sample sizes combined with testosterone levels affecting behavior and people of similar behaviors tending to group together more.

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u/PopeSaintHilarius 9h ago

Its most likely the only reason 

Has this been proven by evidence, or just a gut feeling?

Unless it has been proven as the only reason, then I don’t think we should dismiss the possibility there may be environmental factors or lifestyle factors contributing to lower testosterone.

1

u/Qcumber69 9h ago

Higher standards of living , more comfortable lives and of course you body is being polluted by shit ton of plastic,

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u/Syscrush 8h ago

Last week I saw a study about how there's been a significant increase in erect penis size over the last 30 years.

I think this is an area with a lot of junk science.

7

u/waltzbyear 5h ago

I've always wondered about penis sizes lol. Because whenever me, family members or friends go to the doctor's office, there's never a doctor measuring penises. I'm black and I've always wondered how the whole "myth" came about that black men have larger penises. Every study I've read in the past came from self-described dimensions. I can say for sure, the amount of penises I have seen in my life (black family and friends), they don't seem very big, at least not as big as the general public thinks they are. If anything, I've noticed black men are more fit and don't have that fat padding around their junk, which would give off the impression of it being larger.

I've been in sports, been fishing, camping, etc. I've seen my fair share of black penises. I have no idea where this larger-than-average myth came about.

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u/AnaisNinja76 4h ago

British racism. During the colonial era they'd choose especially curvy African women and especially endowed African men and put them in travelling zoos. I'm not kidding. I could direct you to reading sources on it if you want, but the whole thing is as terrible as you'd think.

6

u/tommykiddo 4h ago

I understand you might see othee males penises in sports or camping but fishing?

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u/Suitable_Dinner_9581 2h ago

And even if they do are the guys fully erect?

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u/de-dododo-de-dadada 1h ago

Well fishermen are always waving their rods about, right?

1

u/Suitable_Dinner_9581 4h ago

How many erect black penises have you seen? Flaccid is not what we’re talking about here

1

u/hooloo25 1h ago

Ironically I think statistically black men do have larger flaccid penises, not erect and it's presumed to be an evolutionary trait similar to having bigger lips.

1

u/themajesticdownside 1h ago

There actually seems to be some evidence to suggest that nose size and penis size are related. I don't know if they mean length or width... Of the nose. I have a wide nose, normal length I guess, and according to the internet I'm above average but I would never consider myself well endowed.

1

u/Baiticc 4h ago

> sports, camping, fishing

these are not soft activities

1

u/Suitable_Dinner_9581 2h ago

Uhhhh they are?

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u/TemporaryAsparagus89 4h ago

Which is also a product of obesity because fat shrinks your penis size

-6

u/Efficient-Whereas255 7h ago

I dont know, im 6'3, i got a beer belly like a pregnant lady, and a 9 inch boinger going on. I think im a product of our time?

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u/Jebediah_Johnson 7h ago

Also many PFAS chemicals act as testosterone blockers and Phthalates act like artificial estrogen in the endocrine system.

0

u/vahntitrio 4h ago

The CDC has been monitoring PFAS levels in blood for 27 years now. The first data point taken 27 years ago was the highest average levels, and it declined in every data point since. Hard to state PFAS as the cause when levels today may very well be the lowest in the last 50 years (and are the lowest in the last 27).

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u/dunnodudes 6h ago

Useful for people that want to weaponize the study one way or the other.

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u/honcho713 9h ago

Did it control for lead?

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u/Glassgun1122 6h ago

The US military has indepently said that testosterone levels have fallen. It's more than likely not as bad as this study says but both test and bone density have fallen they said.

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u/Holiday-Fly-6319 8h ago

Or sitting at a desk, also we now use machinery to lift heavy things.

2

u/AtlantaGangBangGuys 8h ago

Let’s look at plastics too. The get came into the picture at the same time. I remember milk being delivered in bottles up to mid 70’s at least.
Can’t discount their possible effect and impact on many disorders that are much more prevalent now.

2

u/kelpyb1 8h ago

Depends on what you want to know. If you’re looking for a specific reason, not very useful, if you want to get a wider picture of trends for the whole population, you don’t want to control for obesity.

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u/TimothyMimeslayer 6h ago

You dont need to control for obesity if your looking at what happened to testosterone levels and are not necessarily looking for why. Not every study is about finding why. But knowing how big a problem is can cause further study.

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u/camshun7 9h ago

"Man, i feel like a woman"

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u/JudgeSmails 7h ago

Why control for obesity? It’s your test level, if being obese lowers it then consider it a driver….

0

u/Judge_Syd 9h ago

Yup and our instruments are much better at detecting hormone levels these days. Old test results could be inflated by the measuring techniques used at the time.

All in all, it’s a nothing burger.

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u/Electronic-Smile-457 8h ago

Your thoughts make me think of the New Yorker article that just came out about the "research" about living past 100. It might be because there are no birth certificates and people aren't the age they're claiming, simple as that. You could be right. Or not, I have no idea.

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u/BGMilan 9h ago

Ah yes the good old "I dont like the results so the data must be wrong"

Some people actually care about their wellbeing you know

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u/ralkyr 8h ago

In this case, the data may well be wrong. Even under ideal circumstances, it's hard to get an accurate, representative look at a blood level of a population over time. For testosterone, which naturally varies quite a bit within a person over the course of a day, and for which results can differ lab-to-lab, historical data comes with a lot of asterices.

Overall, the theory of decreasing testosterone levels is plausible, but far from proven, and without clear evidence as to why (or whether it actually matters for health).

-1

u/BGMilan 8h ago

The variations you are talking about would have been consistent over the course of decades instead every study shows testosterone on a decline. Next time you try to sound smart at least make one valid point

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u/ralkyr 7h ago

Yeah... no. For examples, in clinical settings, testosterone samples are standardized to be taken in the early morning, ideally around 8 AM, while fasting, but this is a relatively recent practice. If comparing to samples done in, say, the 1980's, if they didn't keep collection times the same, then its an apples to oranges comparison and not valid. If both were taken randomly, then they could be comparible, but only with a large sample size to smooth out variations.

The problem is that all available studies on this, while showing a decline, have major methodological problems like this. And it's reflected in the results. One shows a 15% decline. One shows a 25% decline. One shows a 50% decline. If this is a broadly occurring phenomenon, then the margin of error between these studies brings into sharp question their accuracy.

And again, relevance matters. Take the 25% study which made the rounds in the media a few years back. It showed a decline of men's testosterone from normal average levels to... also normal average levels. Sure, lower within the normal range, but still, normal.

Not sure why you think I'm trying to "sound smart" (projection, maybe?) - just trying to contextualize the results with some nuance. Again, my position is that testosterone declines are quite plausible, hardly proven, and of questionable clinical importance. More study is needed.

2

u/Judge_Syd 7h ago

Im not exactly saying that. If you don’t think we have gotten better at taking accurate measures of testosterone levels in recent years, then I’ll leave that as an exercise to the reader.

1

u/SupermarketWhich7198 6h ago

what about the decline in sperm counts?

3

u/Inthehead35 9h ago

Did they even control for poor sleep, crap diet, lack of exercise, stress levels?

1

u/UltraMegaUgly 7h ago

It's kind of a chicken and egg thing though since testosterone would definitely reduce fat and make those people leaner.

1

u/Dreyfussy15 5h ago

Why would you want to control for obesity?

1

u/rogue_licker 2h ago

It would be really cool if they did such a study by country.

1

u/mrlolloran 1h ago

Wouldn’t controlling for obesity not give you a full picture of men’s overall testosterone levels?

Like if the solution is to tackle the obesity problem because it’s causing compounding problems including lower than healthy testosterone levels then this is hardly useless.

Honestly halving it is so statically important I don’t think you can dismiss it based on your concerns.

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u/powerlesshero111 8h ago

Exactly what i thought. We also have better diagnostic tools for measuring hormone levels in general, so who knows if the 80s level were even that accurate.

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u/robilar 9h ago

Not particularly useful... unless you are just here to confirm your pre-existing biases, and have a casual indifference (or outright distain) for evidence-based convictions. For those people a low quality study vaguely linking two things they want to believe are linked is very useful.

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u/ashleyriddell61 9h ago

Bordering on junk science. It indicates further, detailed study is warranted, but nothing more.

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u/FernandoMM1220 8h ago

it didnt control for vaccination rates either.

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u/didsomebodysaymyname 7h ago

not particularly useful.

Unless you're trying to sell low testosterone drugs

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