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 .
Effects of testosterone and progressive resistance training in eugonadal men with AIDS wasting. A randomized, controlled trial.
BACKGROUND Substantial loss of muscle mass occurs among men with AIDS wasting . OBJECTIVE To investigate the independent effects of testosterone therapy and progressive resistance training in eugonadal men with AIDS wasting . DESIGN R and omized , controlled trial . SETTING University hospital . PATIENTS 54 eugonadal men with AIDS wasting ( weight < 90 % ideal body weight or weight loss > 10 % ) . INTERVENTION In a 2 x 2 factorial design , patients were assigned to receive testosterone enanthate ( 200 mg/wk ) or placebo injections and progressive resistance training ( three times weekly ) or no training for 12 weeks . MEASUREMENTS Cross-sectional muscle area and other indices of muscle mass . RESULTS Cross-sectional muscle area increased in response to training compared with nontraining ( change in arm muscle mass , 499 + /- 349 mm2 vs. 206 + /- 264 mm2 [ P = 0.004 ] ; change in leg muscle mass , 1106 + /- 854 mm2 vs. 523 + /- 872 mm2 [ P = 0.045 ] ) and in response to testosterone therapy compared with placebo ( change in arm muscle mass , 512 + /- 371 mm2 vs. 194 + /- 215 mm2 [ P < 0.001 ] ; change in leg muscle mass , 1,236 + /- 881 mm2 vs. 399 + /- 729 mm2 [ P = 0.002 ] ) . Levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased in response to testosterone therapy compared with placebo ( -0.03 + /- 0.13 mmol/L vs. 0.05 + /- 0.13 mmol/L [ -1 + /- 5 mg/dL vs. 2 + /- 5 mg/dL ] ; P= 0.011 ) and increased in response to training compared with nontraining ( 0.05 + /- 0.13 mmol/L vs. 0.00 + /- 0.16 mmol/L [ 2 + /- 5 mg/dL vs. 0 + /- 6 mg/dL ] ; P = 0.052 ) . CONCLUSIONS In contrast to anabolic therapies that may have adverse effects on metabolic variables , supervised exercise effectively increases muscle mass and is associated with significant positive health benefits in eugonadal men with AIDS wasting
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 .