Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Male Boomers
By Jeffry S. Life, MD, PhD
Many men over 50 suffer from a declining production of testosterone (or low T), a real medical condition referred to as andropause, and not one created by the pharmaceutical industry as some have suggested. The condition is a well-recognized, clinical disorder.
The most current science clearly shows how declining hormone levels, particularly testosterone, can jeopardize a man’s health. There is a wealth of evidence underscoring the importance of maintaining adequate testosterone levels as men age: it preserves bone mass, muscle mass, sexual function, stamina, exertional performance, cognitive skills, concentration, memory, coronary artery health, cardiac health, prostate health, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and mood. Healthy testosterone levels also play a crucial role in the prevention of visceral fat, the pivotal factor in causing metabolic syndrome associated with diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
But the importance of treating men with low T has gotten lost in the mix of abuse by athletes and bad press. A widely reported 2014 study linked testosterone therapies to cardiac disease. The problem is that this study is flawed. I’m not alone in questioning the results of this study. Dr. Peter J. Snyder of the University of the Pennsylvania School of Medicine was quoted in the New York Times saying that he cautioned against drawing conclusions based on the new study. “We don’t know if these findings apply to men who have low testosterone and meet the criteria for a prescription, or if it applies only to men who have normal levels and then take testosterone in addition.”
Other widely respected studies have shown the complete opposite. In one 2012 study reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, low testosterone levels were shown to be associated with higher rates of all-cause deaths, including those suffering from heart disease. Another excellent review article published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in 2013 demonstrated that normal testosterone levels play an important role in maintaining cardiovascular health. To my mind there is no controversy: the only health risk to treating low T is simply not treating it at all.
The first signs of declining levels of testosterone are: diminished energy levels, increased irritability, decline in mood, decline in cognitive performance and loss of early morning erections. While decreased libido and erectile quality are often the symptoms most frequently connected with falling testosterone levels, they are actually some of the last to occur, which means that by the time your libido fails, the rest of your health has already suffered.
A simple blood test will let you know if you have “low T,” and only a skilled, experienced physician who monitors blood testosterone levels and performs digital rectal exams along with PSA tests to screen for prostate cancer, should administer testosterone therapy.
Jeffry S. Life, MD, PhD is author of The Life Plan Diet as well as the New York Times bestseller of The Life Plan and Mastering the Life Plan (Atria Books). www.drlife.com and his Twitter @drjlife
Category: Blog
