LOW level of male hormones thought to affect mostly men in their late 60s to 70s are now showing up in younger guys.

Hypogonadism, also known as testosterone deficiency syndrome, is a medical term for when the male sex glands, the testes, produce little or no hormones.

It is a condition that usually kicks in during or after middle age and progresses as one grows older.

A new study conducted by the Men's Health Society and released on Tuesday showed that one in five Singapore men aged 45 and above are experiencing hypogonadism.

And the number is set to rise as the population ages, say health experts.

Professor Peter Lim, president of the society for Men's Health Singapore, which commissioned the health screening on 600 men for the study, said results of the study have reaffirmed that the condition is becoming a serious health threat among baby boomers, as it shows a direct link between hypogonadism and the cluster of diseases known as metabolic syndrome.