Jan 8, 2008 – Can testosterone supplements counter the effects of andropause in aging men? It seems not if we are to believe the results of a clinical trial that has just published the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study was conducted among more than 200 men between the ages of 60 and 80 with low testosterone levels. Dutch researchers wanted to know if an additional intake of 160 mg per day of this hormone could have an effect on their mobility, their cognitive faculties, their bone density, their metabolism and their quality of life in general.
According to the results, after six months of daily testosterone supplementation, the men who took the supplement had a better lean mass to fat ratio than those in the placebo group. This change, however, had no effect on the muscle strength and mobility of the subjects. On the other hand, the reduction in adipose tissue went hand in hand with a reduction in blood levels of HDL, a type of fatty substance that confers some protection against cardiovascular disorders.
No difference was noted between the two groups in terms of cognitive ability, bone density and quality of life in general, report the authors of the study.
The possibility has been raised in recent years that supplementation with testosterone could increase the risk of developing prostate cancer in andropausal men. The researchers in this study did not observe such an effect, at least in the short term.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Emmelot-Vonk MH, Verhaar HJ, et al. Effect of testosterone supplementation on functional mobility, cognition, and other parameters in older men: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008 Jan 2; 299 (1): 39-52.