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 .
Effect of 12 month oral testosterone on testosterone deficiency symptoms in symptomatic elderly males with low-normal gonadal status.
BACKGROUND Relative and rogen deficiency in ageing males is assumed to have adverse health effects . This study assessed the effect of 12 months ' st and ard dose , oral testosterone , on symptoms attributed to testosterone deficiency in older men with plasma testosterone levels in the low-normal range for young men . METHODS Testosterone undecanoate ( TU , 80 mg bid ) or placebo was administered for one year to 76 healthy men , 60 years or older , with a free testosterone index ( FTI ) of 0.3 - 0.5 and significant symptoms on a question naire design ed to evaluate and rogen deficiency ( ADAM ) . The ADAM was completed at baseline , 6 and 12 months . Hormone and safety data were collected at baseline , 1 , 3 , 6 and 12 months . RESULTS After 12 months , plasma total testosterone was unchanged in both groups and sex hormone binding globulin decreased in the testosterone group ( P = 0.01 ) . FTI and calculated bioavailable testosterone ( cBT ) were greater in the testosterone group as compared with the placebo group ( P = 0.021 and 0.025 , respectively ) . There was no significant difference in total symptom score between testosterone and placebo groups after 12 months of oral TU . However , there were trends toward improvements in sadness/grumpiness ( P = 0.063 ) , reduced erection strength ( P = 0.059 ) and decreased work performance symptoms ( P = 0.077 ) , particularly in men with baseline cBT levels below 3.1 nmol/l . CONCLUSIONS This study concludes that 80 mg bid oral TU does not improve overall ADAM question naire scores  in older men with low-normal gonadal status . Oral TU may preserve mood and erectile function , as assessed by this question naire , particularly in men with the lowest testosterone levels
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 .