Men with naturally low testosterone tend to have higher levels of the 'bad' cholesterol and lower levels of the 'good' cholesterol, which might mean their heart health is at greater risk.

Giving men extra testosterone seems to lower their 'bad' cholesterol and total cholesterol (which is good), but it also lowers their 'good' cholesterol (which might not be so good).

Taking testosterone therapy might slightly lower the 'good' cholesterol and could raise the 'bad' cholesterol, which could change how your body handles fats in the blood.

For men with low testosterone, taking testosterone therapy may slightly raise the good cholesterol (HDL) without hurting blood pressure or blood sugar levels, based on a big study called TRAVERSE.

In older men, having low testosterone seems to go hand-in-hand with more heart disease, but that’s probably because low testosterone often comes with other issues like being overweight, having high blood sugar, or inflammation — so it’s not necessarily testosterone itself causing the problem.

In older men, having less testosterone seems to go hand-in-hand with having a bigger waist, higher blood sugar, more body inflammation, and lower 'good' cholesterol — all signs of metabolic syndrome — but this doesn’t happen the same way in older women.