Many older men use testosterone supplements in the hopes that it will increase their stamina, boost their mood, and improve their sex lives. But a new study suggests that testosterone treatment provides only modest improvement in the sex lives, walking strength and mood for older men. Testosterone is the main male hormone.
The study was conducted to see if these popular supplements can help treat symptoms that may be blamed on aging. But the study was done using only testosterone gel on men 65 and older who had low testosterone levels and related symptoms and did not look at whether similar benefits would occur in younger men or test testosterone pills, patches, or injections. It is also not extensive enough to determine if long-term use of testosterone raises the risk of heart attacks and prostate cancer.
Dr. Peter Snyder, a University of Pennsylvania hormone specialist an author of the study, told the Associated Press that it would be premature to recommend testosterone supplements even for the type of men in the study. "Making a recommendation depends on knowing all the benefits versus risks. We still don't know everything we want to know."
The study involved nearly 800 men aged 65 and older with low blood levels of testosterone. They were randomly assigned to use testosterone gel or a placebo for a year. They filled out questionnaires about their lives and took a six-minute walking test.
The men who used testosterone had a modest improvement in sex lives. They had slightly greater improvement in mood and walking strength than the placebo group, but no difference in energy levels between the two groups was seen.
About 20% of testosterone men said they had much improved sexual desire, and 30% reported a slight improvement, but almost half reported no change. Less than one-third of the placebo group reported any improvement in sexual desire.
On the walking test, those in the testosterone and placebo groups who started out with low scores showed similar improvements.
Testosterone supplements are widely advertised on television but are only approved for treating testosterone deficiencies caused by certain medical conditions. Still, they have become a multibillion-dollar industry.
The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
