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Testosterone Supplements Show Mixed Effects in Elderly Men
Testosterone supplementation confers no net benefit to elderly men with low normal levels of circulating hormone, according to a JAMA study.
Dutch researchers analyzed the results of 6 months' supplementation with either 80 mg of oral testosterone taken twice daily or placebo in some 220 men. Participants had testosterone levels below the 50th percentile, were between the ages of 60 and 80, and were otherwise healthy at baseline.
After 6 months, testosterone recipients showed no advantage over placebo recipients in physical mobility, cognitive ability, or bone-mineral density. Their lean mass increased and their fat mass decreased. Because of a drop in their HDL cholesterol levels, testosterone recipients were more likely to have developed metabolic syndrome, but the difference between the groups was not significant.
LINK(S):
JAMA article (Free)
Published in Physician's First Watch January 2, 2008