DistantNews
Support us
Experts slam Hegseth's testosterone tests as 'scientifically insane'
🇸🇪 Sweden /Health & Science

Experts slam Hegseth's testosterone tests as 'scientifically insane'

From Dagens Nyheter · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has mandated testosterone level tests for all military personnel over 30.
  • Experts criticize the policy as "scientifically insane" and populist, lacking scientific basis.
  • Doctors argue that lifestyle factors like sleep, training, and nutrition are more critical for performance than testosterone levels.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's directive for mandatory testosterone level tests for military personnel over 30 has drawn sharp criticism from endocrinology experts. They label the policy "scientifically insane" and a populist move with no grounding in scientific fact. Stefan Arver, an endocrinologist, stated that the mandate is based on myths about testosterone's effects, ignoring its actual role in overall health and performance.

The idiocy has reached unexpected heights within the U.S. administration. This is another populist move with no basis in science.

— Stefan ArverAn endocrinologist commenting on the U.S. Defense Secretary's new policy.

Experts like Mikael Lehtihet, an associate professor at the Karolinska Institute, argue that Hegseth overestimates testosterone's importance while underestimating crucial lifestyle factors. These include sleep, training, recovery, nutrition, and general physical fitness. Arver points out the difficulty in defining "low" testosterone levels in healthy individuals and warns that mass screenings could lead to the exclusion of highly capable individuals or encourage unnecessary hormone supplementation.

Scientifically insane. If Hegseth believes military capability can be improved by measuring testosterone concentrations in otherwise healthy soldiers deemed fit for service, he has likely overestimated the hormone's importance and underestimated the significance of sleep, training, recovery, nutrition, and good physical condition.

— Mikael LehtihetAn associate professor of endocrinology at the Karolinska Institute and chief physician at Capio S:t Görans hospital in Stockholm.

Both Arver and Lehtihet emphasize that testosterone levels alone do not determine performance. They highlight that individual responses to hormones vary, and a person's overall well-being and performance are linked to their entire lifestyle. Studies, including one from 1994, have shown no link between high testosterone levels and increased aggression in men, contrary to popular belief.

It is obvious that he has fallen for the myth surrounding testosterone. The image that it makes a man big, strong, alert, and virile is not true. There are economic interests driving that narrative.

— Stefan ArverAn endocrinologist discussing the perceived benefits of testosterone.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog