Heart disease — America’s number one killer — can be caused by many different conditions, including poor diet, chronic dehydration, low salt intake, and hormonal and nutritional imbalances.

It has been known for more than 50 years that low testosterone levels are correlated with development of heart disease.

Unfortunately, men with prostate cancer are frequently given medications that block testosterone production.

For instance, Lupron works by suppressing the release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), which causes testosterone production to fall.

This is referred to as androgen deprivation therapy.

It’s not clear if androgen deprivation therapy improves the length of time a prostate cancer patient will survive.

What is clear, however, is that androgen deprivation therapy can worsen quality of life and significantly increase a man’s risk for a heart attack.

One study found men who received androgen deprivation therapy had a 400 percent greater risk of cardiac death than men not given the therapy.

But it’s not just low testosterone that is associated with increased risk of heart disease and heart failure.

Deficiency of all of the adrenal hormones — including DHEA and pregnenolone — increase the risk of heart disease.

All of these hormones are produced by the fat-like substance cholesterol. If there is not enough cholesterol in the body, or if you are taking a medication that blocks cholesterol production — e.g., a statin drug — it is likely that there will be a deficiency of these hormones.

Over the last 20 years, I have seen countless patients with adrenal hormone dysfunction caused by statin drugs.

For most people over the age of 50, a cholesterol level below 160 mg/dL is too low to produce optimal levels of adrenal hormones.