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 .
Influence of various modes of androgen substitution on serum lipids and lipoproteins in hypogonadal men.
We investigated whether the and rogen type or application mode or testosterone ( T ) serum levels influence serum lipids and lipoprotein levels differentially in 55 hypogonadal men r and omly assigned to the following treatment groups : mesterolone 100 mg orally daily ( [ MES ] n = 12 ) , testosterone undecanoate 160 mg orally daily ( [ TU ] n = 13 ) , testosterone enanthate 250 mg intramuscularly every 21 days ( [ TE ] n = 15 ) , or a single subcutaneous implantation of crystalline T 1,200 mg ( [ TPEL ] n = 15 ) . The dosages were based on st and ard treatment regimens . Previous and rogen substitution was suspended for at least 3 months . Only metabolically healthy men with serum T less than 3.6 nmol/L and total cholesterol ( TC ) and triglyceride ( TG ) less than 200 mg/dL were included . After a screening period of 2 weeks , the study medication was taken from days 0 to 189 , with follow-up visits on days 246 and 300 . Before substitution , all men were clearly hypogonadal , with mean serum T less than 3 nmol/L in all groups . And rogen substitution led to no significant increase of serum T in the MES group , subnormal T in the TU group ( 5.7 + /- 0.3 nmol/L ) , normal T in the TE group ( 13.5 + /- 0.7 nmol/L ) , and high-normal T in the TPEL group ( 23.2 + /- 1.1 nmol/L ) . 5 alpha-Dihydrotestosterone significantly increased in all treatment groups compared with baseline . Compared with presubstitution levels , a significant increase of TC was observed in all treatment groups ( TU , 14.4 % + /- 3.0 % ; MES , 18.8 % + /- 2.5 % ; TE , 20.4 % + /- 3.0 % ; TPEL , 20.2 % + /- 2.6 % ) . Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C ) also increased significantly by 34.3 % + /- 5.5 % ( TU ) , 46.4 % + /- 4.1 % ( MES ) , 65.2 % + /- 5.7 % ( TE ) , and 47.5 % + /- 4.3 % ( TPEL ) . High-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL-C ) showed a significant decrease by -30.9 % + /- 2.8 % ( TU ) , -34.9 % + /- 2.5 % ( MES ) , -35.7 % + /- 2.6 % ( TE ) , and -32.5 % + /- 3.5 % ( TPEL ) . Serum TG significantly increased by 37.3 % + /- 11.3 % ( TU ) , 46.4 % + /- 10.3 % ( MES ) , 29.4 % + /- 6.5 % ( TE ) , and 22.9 % + /- 6.7 % ( TPEL ) . TU caused a smaller increase of TC than TE and TPEL , whereas the parenteral treatment modes showed a lower increase of TG . There was no correlation between serum T and lipid concentrations . Despite the return of serum T to pretreatment levels , serum lipid and lipoprotein levels did not return to baseline during follow-up evaluation . In summary , and rogen substitution  in hypogonadal men increases TC , LDL-C , and TG and decreases HDL-C independently of the and rogen type and application made and the serum and rogen levels achieved . Due to the extended washout period for previous and rogen medication and the exclusion of men with preexisting hyperlipidemia , this investigation demonstrates more clearly than previous studies the impact of and rogen effects on serum lipids and lipoproteins . It is concluded that preexisting low serum and rogens induce a " male-type " serum lipid profile , and increasing serum and rogens further within the male normal range does not exert any additional effects . The threshold appears to be above the normal female and rogen serum levels and far below the lower limit of normal serum T levels in adult men . These findings may have considerable implication s for the use of and rogens as a male contraceptive and for and rogen therapy in elderly 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 .