Testosterone supplementation did not show consistent benefit for cardiovascular risk , sexual function , mood and behavior , or cognition .
Studies that examined clinical cardiovascular endpoints have not favored testosterone therapy over placebo .
Testosterone is ineffective in treating erectile dysfunction and controlled trials did not show a consistent effect on libido .
Testosterone supplementation consistently increased muscle strength but did not have beneficial effects on physical function .
Most studies on mood-related endpoints found no beneficial effect of testosterone treatment on personality , psychological well-being , or mood .
Testosterone products are recommended by some prescribers in response to a diagnosis or presumption of " low testosterone " ( low-T ) for cardiovascular health , sexual function , muscle weakness or wasting , mood and behavior , and cognition .
Effect of testosterone treatment on bone mineral density in men over 65 years of age.
As men age , their serum testosterone concentrations decrease , as do their bone densities . Because bone density is also low in hypogonadal men , we hypothesized that increasing the serum testosterone concentrations of men over 65 yr to those found in young men would increase their bone densities . We r and omized 108 men over 65 yr of age to wear either a testosterone patch or a placebo patch double blindly for 36 months . We measured bone mineral density by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry before and during treatment . Ninety-six men completed the entire 36-month protocol . The mean serum testosterone concentration in the men treated with testosterone increased from 367 + /- 79 ng/dL ( + /-SD ; 12.7 + /- 2.7 nmol/L ) before treatment to 625 + /- 249 ng/dL ( 21.7 + /- 8.6 nmol/L ; P < 0.001 ) at 6 months of treatment and remained at that level for the duration of the study . The mean bone mineral density of the lumbar spine increased ( P < 0.001 ) in both the placebo-treated ( 2.5 + /- 0.6 % ) and testosterone-treated ( 4.2 + /- 0.8 % ) groups , but the mean changes did not differ between the groups . Linear regression analysis , however , demonstrated that the lower the pretreatment serum testosterone concentration , the greater the effect of testosterone treatment on lumbar spine bone density from 0 - 36 months ( P = 0.02 ) . This analysis showed a minimal effect ( 0.9 + /- 1.0 % ) of testosterone treatment on bone mineral density for a pretreatment serum testosterone concentration of 400 ng/dL ( 13.9 nmol/L ) , but an increase of 5.9 + /- 2.2 % for a pretreatment testosterone concentration of 200 ng/dL ( 6.9 nmol/L ) . Increasing the serum testosterone concentrations of normal men over 65 yr of age to the midnormal range for young men did not increase lumbar spine bone density overall , but did increase it in those men with low pretreatment serum testosterone concentrations
Testosterone supplementation did not show consistent benefit for cardiovascular risk , sexual function , mood and behavior , or cognition .
Studies that examined clinical cardiovascular endpoints have not favored testosterone therapy over placebo .
Testosterone is ineffective in treating erectile dysfunction and controlled trials did not show a consistent effect on libido .
Testosterone supplementation consistently increased muscle strength but did not have beneficial effects on physical function .
Most studies on mood-related endpoints found no beneficial effect of testosterone treatment on personality , psychological well-being , or mood .
Testosterone products are recommended by some prescribers in response to a diagnosis or presumption of " low testosterone " ( low-T ) for cardiovascular health , sexual function , muscle weakness or wasting , mood and behavior , and cognition .