The participants were seen every 4 weeks. Blood was taken to measure hormone levels, and questionnaires were given to assess physical function, health status, vitality, and sexual function. Body fat and muscle measurements were also taken at the beginning and end of the 16 weeks. The study was funded in part by NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Results appeared in the September 12, 2013, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The researchers found that the dose of testosterone required to produce different effects in the body varied widely. The influence of testosterone and estradiol also differed. As the testosterone gel dose was reduced, the scientists showed, reductions in lean mass, muscle size, and leg-press strength resulted from decreases in testosterone itself. In contrast, increases in body fat were due to the related declines in estradiol. Both testosterone and estradiol levels were associated with libido and erectile function.
“This study establishes testosterone levels at which various physiological functions start to become impaired, which may help provide a rationale for determining which men should be treated with testosterone supplements,” Finkelstein says. “But the biggest surprise was that some of the symptoms routinely attributed to testosterone deficiency are actually partially or almost exclusively caused by the decline in estrogens that is an inseparable result of lower testosterone levels.”
— by Harrison Wein, Ph.D.
Related Links:
- Testosterone Boosts Heart Risk in Men with Poor Mobility:
http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/july2010/ 07122010testosterone.htm - Testosterone Topical:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a605020.html - Can We Prevent Aging?:
http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/can-we-prevent-aging - Anabolic Steroids:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/anabolic-steroids
Reference: Gonadal steroids and body composition, strength, and sexual function in men. N Engl J Med. 2013 Sep 12;369(11):1011-22. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1206168. PMID: 24024838.
Funding: NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) as well as Abbott Laboratories.
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