Testosterone treatment did not improve older mens memory or mental function in the latest results from landmark government research that challenges the anti-aging claims of popular supplements.
While testosterone use for one year appeared to strengthen bones and reduce anemia, it also showed signs of worsening artery disease. Questions also remain about other potential risks. The researchers said more studies are needed to determine long-term effects the kind of research the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already asked supplement makers to conduct.
I dont think anybody would interpret these results as saying, Wow, this is a fountain of youth, this is a magical anti-aging potion,' said study co-author Susan Ellenberg, a University of Pennsylvania researcher.
The results are from the final four studies in a seven-part project mostly funded by the National Institute on Aging, involving nearly 800 U.S. men aged 65 and older with low testosterone levels. The goal was to see if rubbing testosterone gel on the skin daily for a year could treat problems linked with low levels of the male hormone, which declines with age. Half the men in each group used the real thing and half used fake gel.
Results published a year ago from the same research linked testosterone with mostly modest improvement in sexual performance, walking strength and mood.
The key new findings:
The overall health benefits, however, remain to be determined, the researchers said.
The studies were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association and JAMA Internal Medicine. AbbVie Pharmaceuticals provided its gel for the study and helped pay for the research but had no other role in the study.
The research was not designed to look at risks and does not apply to younger men or those with normal levels of testosterone, said study leader Dr. Peter Snyder, a University of Pennsylvania hormone specialist. Its also not known if other forms of testosterone supplements would have similar effects in older men with low levels.
Prescription testosterone products, including gel, are approved only for men with low levels of the hormones caused by various medical conditions. Benefits and risks are unknown in men whose levels are low due only to aging, the FDA says. The agency requires testosterone labels to include possible risks for heart attacks and strokes, based on some previous studies.
A separate study published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine found that men using prescription testosterone gel, patches or injections had fewer heart attacks and strokes than non-users during about three years of follow-up. But this was only observational data in men aged 40 and up, not rigorous research testing the hormone against a placebo.
Clarifying testosterones effects on heart problems, fractures and age-related disability will require larger, longer studies, said Dr. Evan Hadley of the National Institute on Aging. He said decisions about whether to use testosterone should take into account mens individual risks for conditions the hormone could affect.
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Testosterone Anti-Aging Studies: Some Benefits, But None to Mental Function - KQED
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