I’m sure you have seen a few men with unusually large breast, it happens that as many as 70% of men over 50 have enlarged breasts. A condition known as gynaecomastia.
Typically, this results from an imbalance in levels of the hormones testosterone and oestrogen, which can result in excess firm glandular breast tissue.
Oestrogen is often thought of as a “female” hormone, but men produce it, too. It stimulates the growth of breast tissue, but in men, high levels of testosterone usually keep this in check.
However, testosterone levels drop with age. Older men also tend to have more body fat: this produces oestrogen, which leads to a rise in levels of the hormone.
This double effect encourages growth of both glandular breast tissue and fat. Younger men can develop pseudogynaecomastia – bigger breasts due to being overweight. The excess fat stores can stimulate oestrogen production, creating more breast tissue.
In 2017, a study of British men over 40 found those taking finasteride or dutasteride (for an enlarged prostate) were three times more likely to develop gynaecomastia, possibly because the drugs reduce testosterone production.
If bigger breasts are clearly caused by a hormonal imbalance (for example, the patient is otherwise slim), drugs can be prescribed to stabilise hormone levels. Another option is breast reduction surgery.