Sex Hormone Tied to Depression

Men with low levels of testosterone are more likely to be depressed, Australian researchers have found, and they recommend that those with abnormally low levels be treated with injections of the sex hormone. A study of men over the age of 70 revealed that those with the lowest testosterone levels are three times more likely to suffer depression than those with the highest levels, reports the Age.

The results held regardless of overall physical health; the link between poor health and depression is well established. "There is good rationale for considering using testosterone replacement to improve mood" for patients with low levels of testosterone, said the author of the study, published in Archives of General Psychiatry. "This is the most compelling case for the link yet." (More testosterone stories.)