Endocrinologists at the University at Buffalo said the new findings have several clinical implications besides the impairment of sexual function in these young men.

"The lack of testosterone during these critical years may lead to diminished bone mass and the lack of development or lose of skeletal muscle. In addition, these patients may gain more weight and become more insulin resistant," senior author Paresh Dandona said in a statement.

"Also, patients with low testosterone and type 2 diabetes have been shown to have very high concentrations of C reactive protein, which increases their risk of developing atherosclerosis and heart disease above and beyond the risk associated with diabetes."

The study involved 38 men ages 18 to 35 with type 1 diabetes and 24 men with type 2 diabetes.

The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, showed that type 2 diabetics had half the amount of total and free testosterone in their blood as their type 1 counterparts.