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 .
Single and combined effects of growth hormone and testosterone administration on measures of body composition, physical performance, mood, sexual function, bone turnover, and muscle gene expression in healthy older men.
We examined the effects of GH and /or testosterone ( T ) administration on body composition , performance , mood , sexual function , bone turnover , and muscle-gene expression in healthy older men . Ten men [ mean ( SEM ) age , 68 ( 2.5 ) yr ; height , 171.5 ( 2.4 ) cm ; and weight , 80 ( 3.0 ) kg ] completed each of the following 1-month , double-blind interventions after a baseline ( B ) study in r and omized order with an intervening 3-month washout : transdermal T patch ( 5.0 mg/daily ) ; recombinant human GH ( 6.25 micro g/kg sc daily ) ; and combined hormones ( GHT ) . ANOVA with repeated measures was used to evaluate interventional effects . Integrated serum GH concentrations [ mean ( SEM ) ] were elevated comparably by GH and GHT : [ B = 363 ( 55 ) , GH = 1107 ( 120 ) , T = 459 ( 131 ) , and GHT = 1189 ( 46 ) micro g/liter.min ; P < 0.0001 ] . Serum IGF-I concentrations also increased commensurately after GH and GHT : [ B = 168 ( 14 ) , GH = 285 ( 16 ) , T = 192 ( 25 ) , and GHT = 294 ( 25 ) micro g/liter ; P < 0.0001 ] . GHT administration increased total estradiol : [ B = 110 ( 20 ) , GH = 106 ( 13 ) , T = 129 ( 13 ) , and GHT = 153 ( 17 ) pmol/liter ; P < 0.02 ] , and both T and GHT elevated free T : [ B = 12 ( 2.1 ) , GH = 11 ( 1.5 ) , T = 22 ( 2.8 ) , and GHT = 24 ( 2.5 ) pg/ml ; P < 0.0001 ] . No significant changes occurred in strength , flexibility , percentage body fat , or sexual function and mood . However , fat-free mass increased under combined GHT exposure : [ B = 55 ( 1.3 ) , GH = 56 ( 1.1 ) , T = 55 ( 1.5 ) , GHT = 57 ( 1.7 ) kg ; P < 0.03 ] . Balance improved in response to GH intervention ( P < 0.05 ) , as did 30-m walk time during T and GHT interventions [ B = 6.6 ( 0.3 ) , GH = 6.2 ( 0.7 ) , T = 5.9 ( 0.3 ) , GHT = 5.5 ( 0.3 ) sec ; P = 0.04 ] and stair climb time for all three interventions [ B = 32.2 ( 1.4 ) , GH = 29.8 ( 1.2 ) , T = 30.5 ( 1.4 ) , and GHT = 29.9 ( 1.2 ) sec ( P = 0.0034 ) , wherein the effects of GH , T , and GHT were different from that of B ] . Muscle IGF-I gene expression increased by 1.9-fold during GH administration and by 2.3-fold during GHT administration ( P < 0.05 , compared with B ) . Myostatin and and rogen receptor gene expression were not affected . Serum osteocalcin increased in response to the GH and GHT interventions : [ B = 4.8 ( 0.52 ) , GH = 5.7 ( 0.54 ) , T = 4.7 ( 0.33 ) , and GHT = 5.5 ( 0.39 ) ; P < 0.009 ] . There were no significant adverse events during 30 patient-months of intervention . We conclude that 1 month of GH and /or T administration improves certain measures of balance and physical performance in older men and increases muscle IGF-I gene expression
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 .