Testosterone levels of men determined by where they grow up, study suggests

According to one study, a man's testosterone levels are affected by where he grew up as a child.

Confronted with the idea that testosterone is linked to genetics or race, researchers based in the UK have discovered that a child's environment can raise or lower his testosterone levels at in adulthood, thus triggering health problems.

Very high levels of testosterone can increase the risk of prostate diseases and are related to aggression as well as to increased muscle mass. Very low levels of the hormone, however, can make men lethargic, affect their libido and cause erectile dysfunction.

A new study examined how what a child's ecology called affects their testosterone levels in adulthood. Getty Images

Scientists at the University of Durham studied the connection between a boy's environment and his level of testosterone in adulthood by collecting data from 359 men. The men belonged to one of five categories: 107 were born and raised in Bangladesh; 59 moved to the UK as children; and 75 arrived in the UK as adults. 56 others were born in the UK of Bangladeshi parents and 62 of European descent born in the UK.

Bangladesh and the United Kingdom have been successful countries to compare because they have very contrasting levels of wealth. According to the latest figures released by the World Bank in 2017, nearly three quarters of Bangladesh's population lived in poverty in 2016. In the United Kingdom, this figure was 7.3% of the population according to official statistics published in 2017. (However, the World Bank's poverty criteria and that of the British government differ.)

Variables including height, weight, age, and the age at which they began puberty were taken into account. The researchers also collected the saliva of the participants.

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The resulting data suggest that Bangladeshi men who grew up and lived in the UK as adults had significantly higher levels of testosterone compared to relatively affluent men who were raised and experienced in Bangladesh. However, men's fertility has not been affected by their testosterone levels, the researchers said.

What's more, men of Bangladeshi origin in the UK also reached puberty at a younger age and were taller than those who were raised in Bangladesh.

The findings reflect researchers' findings on how a girl's environment can affect their hormone levels, their fertility rates and the risks of reproductive cancers at age adult.

The researchers behind the study published in the journal Ecology of nature and evolution believe that the ecology of childhood affects testosterone levels. For example, if a child is facing a disease and a poor diet, his or her body will prioritize survival rather than testosterone production.

Dr. Gillian Bentley, co-author of the study and professor of anthropology at the University of Durham, said: "Very high and very low testosterone levels can have health implications. male and it might be important to know more about childhood. circumstances to gain a fuller picture of their risk factors for certain conditions or illnesses. "