Research

Hormonal

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer causes significant metabolic complications, including insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and metabolic syndrome, which accelerate cardiovascular mortality.

If you are undergoing Androgen Deprivation Therapy for prostate cancer, you are at a significantly higher risk for developing diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. You must undergo regular screening for blood sugar and lipids. Aggressively manage your weight, diet, and exercise to counteract the muscle loss and fat gain caused by the therapy. Discuss cardiovascular risk with your doctor before starting treatment.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Metabolic complications such as insulin resistance, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome have recently surfaced and may be responsible for the increased cardiovascular mortality seen in these men.
Sadeka Shahani et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 2008

Why this rating

Based on multiple prospective and cross-sectional studies, though the authors note a need for long-term prospective data to establish causality definitively.

Source

Androgen Deprivation Therapy in Prostate Cancer and Metabolic Risk for Atherosclerosis

Sadeka Shahani et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 2008

DOI 10.1210/jc.2007-2595

narrative_reviewCited 186×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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