Washington, Oct 17 (IANS): Low testosterone could increase risk of heart disease in men with diabetes, research shows.

Men who have low testosterone and Type 2 diabetes are more likely to have atherosclerosis - a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries - than men who have diabetes and normal testosterone levels, the findings showed.

"The results of our study advance our understanding of the interplay between low testosterone and cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes," said study co-author Javier Mauricio Farias from Hospital Universitario Sanatorio Guemes in Argentina.

Atherosclerosis occurs when fats, cholesterol and other substances build up in and on the walls of the body's arteries.

This can restrict blood flow through the body's blood vessels. The plaques also can burst and cause blood clots.

"Our study indicates a strong association between low testosterone concentration and the severity of atherosclerotic plaques as well as other key atherosclerotic markers in middle-aged men with Type 2 diabetes," Farias added.

The study involved 115 men with Type 2 diabetes. The participants were younger than age 70 and had no history of cardiovascular disease.

The study found men who had low testosterone and Type 2 diabetes were six times more likely to have increased thickness of the carotid artery and endothelium dysfunction compared to men with normal serum testosterone levels.

The findings appeared in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).