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 .
Intramuscular testosterone treatment in elderly men: evidence of memory decline and altered brain function.
CONTEXT Recent clinical trials of i m testosterone in eugonadal men suggest positive effects on verbal memory , but other studies find no effect . OBJECTIVE Our objective was to determine whether supraphysiological testosterone influences verbal memory and brain function during a verbal memory task in healthy eugonadal older men . PATIENTS , DESIGN , AND SETTING Fifteen cognitively normal men , aged 66 - 86 yr , participated in a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled crossover trial involving 9 months of participation per participant at a hospital-based research facility . INTERVENTION We used testosterone enanthate ( 200 mg i m every other week for 90 d ) crossed over with placebo ( sesame oil vehicle i m ) with a 90-d washout between treatments . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Performance was assessed on a st and ardized verbal memory test , and brain activity ( relative glucose metabolic rates ) in medial temporal and frontal regions was measured with positron emission tomography during a verbal memory task . RESULTS Treatment increased total testosterone by 241 % . Behavioral results showed a significant decrease in short-delay verbal memory with treatment ( P < 0.05 , effect size = 0.59 sd ) and a nonsignificant decrease on a composite verbal memory measure ( P = 0.09 , effect size = 0.48 sd ) . Positron emission tomography scans revealed decreased relative activity in ventromedial temporal cortex ( i.e. right amygdala/entorhinal cortex ) and increased relative activity in bilateral prefrontal cortex with treatment . CONCLUSIONS Decreased verbal memory and altered relative activity in medial temporal and prefrontal regions suggest possible detrimental effects of supraphysiological testosterone supplementation in elderly men . The results do not rule out potential benefits with other regimens , cognitive tests , or population
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 .