In adolescents aged 12–19 infected with Trichuris trichiura, higher testosterone levels are linked to a greater likelihood of infection and a reduced number of parasites.
See the scientific wording
Higher testosterone levels are associated with increased infection risk and lower parasite load in adolescents aged 12–19 infected with Trichuris trichiura.
Correlational — new studies may shift this
ObservationalOne moderate-quality study links this claim to the outcome, but causation is not established.
What the research says
1 study reviewedSupporting (1)
Cross-Sectional StudyHuman
In teens, higher testosterone levels made it more likely they got whipworm, but if they did get it, they had fewer worms in their poop. So testosterone makes infection more likely but helps control the number of worms.
Contradicting (0)
No contradicting studies found yet
That doesn't mean it's settled — it just means no study has tested the opposite.
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Higher testosterone reduces the immune system's ability to fight off whipworms at first, making infection more likely. Once infected, testosterone shifts the immune response to calm down inflammation, which stops the body from damaging itself too much and causes fewer worms to be detected in the stool.
Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting study
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