A National Institutes of Health-supported report found that in older men with low testosterone, one year of testosterone treatment improved bone density and corrected anemia of both known and unknown causes, but also increased the volume of coronary artery plaque.
According to results reported from the Testosterone Trials (T Trials), testosterone treatment had no effect on memory or other cognitive function.
The T Trials were conducted at 12 sites across the country in 790 men age 65 and older with low levels of testosterone and symptoms to which low testosterone might contribute. The studies were funded primarily by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health.
“A number of older men have testosterone levels below those found in healthy younger men,” NIA Director Dr. Richard Hodes said. “In most cases, these low levels are not due to diseases known to affect testosterone levels."
Hodes said many of these men also have problems that could be related to low testosterone, including impaired cognition, anemia, cardiovascular disease, diminished sexual function, decreased mobility and fatigue.
"The T Trials were designed to determine if testosterone treatment might help alleviate these symptoms and conditions while monitoring for adverse effects,” he said.
