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Testosterone: Difference between revisions
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'''Testosterone''' is a [[anabolic steroid|steroid]] and the primary male sex hormone (androgen). Its effects on the body result from the direct activation of the androgen receptors found in various tissues across the body or via its metabolism to other androgens, most notably via the actions of the enzyme 5-α-reductase, which converts testosterone to the far more potent androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT). | '''Testosterone''' (T) is a [[anabolic steroid|steroid]] and the primary male sex hormone (androgen). Its effects on the body result from the direct activation of the androgen receptors found in various tissues across the body or via its metabolism to other androgens, most notably via the actions of the enzyme 5-α-reductase, which converts testosterone to the far more potent androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT). | ||
In humans, testosterone and other androgens are crucial for the development and maintenance of several male sexually dimorphic traits, such as men's greater bone density and muscle mass compared to women, and (mainly via the process of conversion to DHT, which exhibits far stronger affinity for the AR in these tissues) the development of fixed masculine traits during puberty, such as androgenic body hair, enlargement of the male sex organs, and greater vocal depth. Despite the common perception of it as a male hormone, it is also produced by women in much smaller amounts (in ovaries and the adrenal glands), and it seems to play an essential role in the maintenance of several vital physiological functions in women, particularly the [[sex drive|libido]].<ref>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213858715002843</ref> | In humans, testosterone and other androgens are crucial for the development and maintenance of several male sexually dimorphic traits, such as men's greater bone density and muscle mass compared to women, and (mainly via the process of conversion to DHT, which exhibits far stronger affinity for the AR in these tissues) the development of fixed masculine traits during puberty, such as androgenic body hair, enlargement of the male sex organs, and greater vocal depth. Despite the common perception of it as a male hormone, it is also produced by women in much smaller amounts (in ovaries and the adrenal glands), and it seems to play an essential role in the maintenance of several vital physiological functions in women, particularly the [[sex drive|libido]].<ref>https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213858715002843</ref> | ||
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In humans (and other animals), testosterone plays a role in driving increased aggression, violent behavior, and status drive.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20160109111144/http://www.homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/faculty/josephs/pdf_documents/Arch_Chall_NBR.pdf</ref> | In humans (and other animals), testosterone plays a role in driving increased aggression, violent behavior, and status drive.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20160109111144/http://www.homepage.psy.utexas.edu/HomePage/faculty/josephs/pdf_documents/Arch_Chall_NBR.pdf</ref> | ||
There has been a secular decline in | There has been a secular decline in male T levels in Western countries that is independent of factors such as population aging and increased obesity,<ref>https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/92/1/196/2598434?login=true</ref> leading to sensationalist headlines regarding rampant [[soyboy|feminization]] of men being driven by this factor alone. However, other longitudinal studies have found concurrent evidence that sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that binds to testosterone and makes it inert in the body, has also been decreasing on a population and cohort level.<ref>https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/92/12/4696/2597312?login=true</ref> | ||
If this finding proves robust, this reduction in SHBG would result in less negative feedback being exerted on men's hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG axis), which would lead to the body downregulating T production as it essentially needs less to produce the desired effects. Meaning the secular decrease in T wouldn't be particularly relevant in driving any practical differences in population level masculinization. | If this finding proves robust, this reduction in SHBG would result in less negative feedback being exerted on men's hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG axis), which would lead to the body downregulating T production as it essentially needs less to produce the desired effects. Meaning the secular decrease in T wouldn't be particularly relevant in driving any practical differences in population level masculinization. | ||