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 .
Changes in lipoprotein-lipid levels in normal men following administration of increasing doses of testosterone cypionate.
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between anabolic-- and rogenic steroids and lipoprotein levels in men receiving weekly injections of gradually escalating doses of up to 600 mg/week of testosterone cypionate .  DESIGN The design was a placebo-controlled , double-blind , 24-week cross-over design in which subjects were r and omized to one of two treatment sequences : ( a ) weekly testosterone cypionate injections for 6 weeks , no treatment for 6 weeks , weekly placebo injections for 6 weeks , and then again no treatment for 6 weeks ; or ( b ) placebo , no treatment , testosterone , and then no treatment , with each interval also lasting 6 weeks as in the first sequence . SETTING The setting was a private hospital . PARTICIPANTS Participants were normal male volunteers . INTERVENTIONS Testosterone cypionate injections were given in gradually increasing doses of 150 mg/week for 2 weeks , 300 mg/week for 2 weeks , and 600 mg/week for 2 weeks . Eight subjects received testosterone injections during the first injection phase and placebo during the second injection phase , and the remaining eight subjects received placebo first and testosterone second . RESULTS We found a 21 % depression of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL-C ) levels following the first 300-mg testosterone dose . This depression remained unchanged after the two 600-mg doses . In contrast , we did not find any changes in low-density lipoprotein or total cholesterol levels at any of the time points studied . Subjects ' total cholesterol/HDL-C ratios were significantly elevated during testosterone administration and even 4 weeks following the last injection . CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that testosterone cypionate adversely affects cholesterol fractions , that this effect reaches its full magnitude even at very modestly supraphysiologic doses , and that this effect persists for several weeks after discontinuation of the drug
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 .