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 .
The role of aromatization in testosterone supplementation
Objective : To determine the contribution of conversion of testosterone ( T ) to estradiol on cognitive processing in a population of healthy older men who received T supplementation .  Methods : Sixty healthy , community-dwelling volunteers aged 50 to 90 years completed a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study . Participants were r and omized to receive weekly IM injections of 100 mg T enanthate plus daily oral placebo pill ( T group , n = 20 ) , 100 mg testosterone enanthate plus 1 mg daily of anastrozole , an aromatase inhibitor ( oral pill ) , to block the conversion of T to estradiol ( AT group , n = 19 ) , or saline injection and placebo pill ( placebo group , n = 21 ) for 6 weeks . Cognitive evaluations using a battery of neuropsychological tests were conducted at baseline , week 3 and week 6 of treatment , and after 6 weeks of washout . Results : Circulating total T was increased from baseline an average of 238 % in the T and AT treatment groups . Estradiol increased an average of 81 % in the T group and decreased 50 % in the AT group during treatment . Significant improvements in spatial memory were evident in the AT and T treatment groups . However , only the group with elevated estradiol levels ( T group ) demonstrated significant verbal memory improvement . Conclusion : In healthy older men , improvement in verbal memory induced by testosterone administration depends on aromatization of testosterone to estradiol , whereas improvement in spatial memory occurs in the absence of increases in estradiol
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 .