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 .
Effects of testosterone on cognition and mood in male patients with mild Alzheimer disease and healthy elderly men.
CONTEXT There is a compelling need for therapies that prevent , defer the onset , slow the progression , or improve the symptoms of Alzheimer disease ( AD ) . OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of testosterone therapy on cognition , neuropsychiatric symptoms , and quality of life in male patients with mild AD and healthy elderly men . DESIGN Twenty-four-week , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled , parallel-group study . SETTING Memory disorders clinics as well as general neurology and medicine clinics from University of California medical centers at Los Angeles , San Francisco , and Irvine . PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS Sixteen male patients with AD and 22 healthy male control subjects . Healthy elderly control men were recruited from the community through advertisements as well as through the university-based clinics . INTERVENTION Testosterone and placebo , in the form of hydroalcoholic gel ( 75 mg ) , were applied daily to the skin of the participants . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Instruments assessing cognitive functioning ( Alzheimer 's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale , California Verbal Learning Test , Block Design Subtest , Judgment of Line Orientation , Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration ) , neuropsychiatric symptoms ( Neuropsychiatric Inventory ) , global functioning ( Clinician 's Interview-Based Impression of Change ) , and quality of life ( Quality of Life-Alzheimer Disease Scale ) . RESULTS For the patients with AD , the testosterone-treated group had significantly greater improvements in the scores on the caregiver version of the quality -of-life scale ( P = .01 ) . No significant treatment group differences were detected in the cognitive scores at end of study , although numerically greater improvement or less decline on measures of visuospatial functions was demonstrated with testosterone treatment compared with placebo . In the healthy control group , a nonsignificant trend toward greater improvement in self-rated quality of life was observed in the testosterone-treated group ( P = .09 ) compared with placebo treatment . No difference between the treatment groups was detected in the remaining outcome measures . Testosterone treatment was well tolerated with few adverse effects relative to placebo . CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that testosterone replacement therapy improved overall quality of life in patients with AD .  Testosterone had minimal effects on cognition
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 .