“Low T” is the innocuous buzz word circulated by advertisers trying to sell drugs to men who have symptoms of low testosterone. These include low libido, fatigue, irritability or muscle loss. However, the game may be proving to be not worth the candle.
The New York Times said, “Clinical testosterone deficiency, which is variously defined as lower than 220 to 350 nanograms of testosterone per deciliter of blood serum, can cause men to lose sex drive and fertility. Their bone density often declines, and they may feel tired and experience hot flashes and sweats.”
The Endocrine Society has released the following statement on the risk involved for men getting testosterone therapy: “A recent study by Finkle et al1, published online in PLOS ONE, suggests that the risk of myocardial infarction is increased in men who are receiving testosterone therapy and who have pre-existing heart disease. This report follows on the heels of another study from the Veterans Health Care System2, which also found a higher frequency of death and cardiovascular events in men who had documented coronary artery disease and who were administered testosterone therapy. In 2010, a randomized placebo-controlled trial of testosterone in older men with mobility limitation, funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), was stopped early by the trial’s data and safety monitoring board, due to the higher frequency of cardiovascular-related events in men assigned to the testosterone arm of the trial than in those assigned to the placebo arm3. These studies have heightened concern about the safety of testosterone therapy in older men with pre-existing heart disease. Continue reading
Wellness Secrets of a SuperAger 