Does testosterone therapy hurt the heart?
Long-Term Cardiovascular Safety of Testosterone-Replacement Therapy in Middle-Aged and Older Men: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Testosterone therapy didn’t increase heart attacks or strokes—even though it increased arrhythmias, which are often precursors.
Common medical logic suggests arrhythmias should raise stroke or heart attack risk, yet this large study found no such link—challenging assumptions about how testosterone affects the cardiovascular system.
Practical Takeaways
Men over 40 considering TRT should get a baseline ECG and discuss arrhythmia risk with their doctor before starting.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Testosterone therapy didn’t increase heart attacks or strokes—even though it increased arrhythmias, which are often precursors.
Common medical logic suggests arrhythmias should raise stroke or heart attack risk, yet this large study found no such link—challenging assumptions about how testosterone affects the cardiovascular system.
Practical Takeaways
Men over 40 considering TRT should get a baseline ECG and discuss arrhythmia risk with their doctor before starting.
Publication
Journal
American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs
Year
2025
Authors
M. Braga, A. Rivera, Gabriel Marinheiro, Nicole Felix, Pedro E. P. Carvalho, D. Gewehr, Larissa Teixeira, M. Clemente, P. Reis, L. G. D. de Amorim, A. D. Marinho, Thiago Bosco Mendes, F. Mesquita, Edoardo Pozzi, Ranjith Ramasamy
Related Content
Claims (6)
Studies with lots of people and strict methods show that giving men testosterone at normal body levels doesn’t make them more likely to die or have serious heart problems.
For men over 40 with low testosterone, taking testosterone therapy doesn't clearly raise the risk of stroke—but it also might raise it by up to half, so we can't say for sure it's safe.
For men over 40 with low testosterone, taking testosterone therapy doesn't clearly raise or lower the chance of a heart attack — but it might still increase it by up to 28%, so we can't say for sure it's safe.
Giving testosterone to older men with low levels doesn’t seem to make them more likely to die, but we can’t be totally sure it’s completely safe—there’s still a small chance it could be harmful.
For men over 40 with low testosterone, taking testosterone therapy might raise their risk of irregular heartbeats by more than half, which doctors should take seriously.