CHICAGO — A landmark study suggests that testosterone treatment is no fountain of youth, finding mostly modest improvement in the sex lives, walking strength and mood of a select group of older men.
The long-awaited results from a rigorous, government-funded study are the first solid evidence of whether these popular supplements can help treat low sex drive, lack of energy and other symptoms sometimes blamed on aging.
The researchers emphasized that the findings pertain only to use of testosterone gel by men 65 and older with low hormone levels and related symptoms; whether similar benefits would occur in younger men or with testosterone pills, patches or shots is unknown.
Also, the research was not extensive enough to determine whether long-term use raises the risk of heart attacks and prostate cancer, as some studies have suggested.
Lead author Dr. Peter Snyder, a University of Pennsylvania hormone specialist, said it would be premature to recommend the treatment even for men like those studied.
“Making a recommendation depends on knowing all the benefits versus risks,” he said. “We still don’t know everything we want to know.”
The study involved almost 800 men 65 and older at 12 centers nationwide. All had low blood levels of testosterone, the main male sex hormone. They were randomly assigned to use testosterone gel or fake gel without hormones, rubbed daily on the skin for a year. They had to fill out questionnaires and take a six-minute walking test.
The study design is considered the most rigorous, gold-standard type of research.
Improvement in sex lives was modest among the testosterone group, and the benefits in erectile function were less that what has been seen with Viagra and similar drugs. The men on testosterone had slightly greater improvement in mood and walking strength than the other men, but there was no difference in energy boost between the two groups.
The research is among seven testosterone studies the National Institute on Aging launched in 2009 to examine the risks and benefits of testosterone supplements widely marketed on television to men with “low T.”
Testosterone levels typically decline with age. Supplements are approved only for treating testosterone deficiency caused by certain medical conditions, such as problems with the testes, but they have become a multibillion-dollar industry, feeding on aging men’s desire to remain youthful.
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