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 .
Testosterone and cognition in elderly men: a single testosterone injection blocks the practice effect in verbal fluency, but has no effect on spatial or verbal memory
BACKGROUND The relevance of the age-associated decline in testosterone for cognition in elderly men is still poorly understood . One hypothesis is that testosterone enhances spatial abilities , while it might impair verbal skills . METHODS Thirty elderly men received a single testosterone ( 250 mg testosterone enanthate ) or placebo injection .  Cognitive performance was tested before and 5 days after treatment using spatial as well as verbal tests . RESULTS Five days after injection , testosterone and estradiol levels were still in the supraphysiologic range . In the verbal fluency task , the placebo group , but not the testosterone group , showed a practice effect . Therefore , the testosterone group performed significantly worse than the placebo group after treatment . No effects of testosterone were observed in the other verbal and spatial tasks . CONCLUSIONS The present finding , that testosterone blocks the practice effect in verbal fluency , partly supports the general idea that sex steroids modulate performance in tests with known gender differences . Moreover it demonstrates that these effects can occur rapidly . However , beneficial effects on spatial cognition or memory might need more time to develop and /or might only occur when a less pronounced testosterone increase is induced
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 .