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 .
Activational effects of testosterone on cognitive function in men
OBJECTIVES The effect of testosterone ( T ) on sexual function in men is well established . However , less is known about its effects on cognitive function . The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between T levels and sex-typed cognitive abilities in both eugonadal and hypogonadal men . DESIGN A single-blind placebo-controlled design was employed in this study . METHODS Thirty healthy eugonadal men and seven hypogonadal men participated in the study . Eugonadal men were r and omised into one of two treatment regimens : ( 1 ) active group -- receiving 200 mg of T enanthate i.m . weekly for 8 weeks ( raising T levels into the supraphysiological range ) or ( 2 ) placebo group -- receiving 200 mg of sodium chloride i.m . weekly for 8 weeks . The hypogonadal group received the physiological replacement dose of 200 mg T enanthate i.m . bi-weekly for 8 weeks . All groups underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests and had circulating T measured at baseline , and at weeks 4 and 8 during treatment . RESULTS A significant time by group interaction effect was found in the measure of spatial ability ( i.e. , block design test ) indicating that the active group 's performance declined significantly at week 4 , compared to placebo group ( F(4,64)=3.78 , P<0.01 ) . Conversely , the active group performed significantly better than the placebo group in the measure of verbal fluency ( i.e. , the Controlled Oral Word Association Test ) at week 4 ( F(4,64)=2.54 , P<0.05 ) . No significant changes were found on any of the other tests . Generally , the hypogonadal group performed less well than the eugonadal groups on all tests . CONCLUSIONS These results offer support to the notion that increased T has a differential effect on cognitive function , inhibiting spatial abilities while improving verbal fluency in eugonadal men
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 .