Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) does not worsen when older men take testosterone, according to research published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Therapy does not appear to improve sexual function or quality of life either, the study found.
Testosterone therapy has been controversial, with some scientists questioning whether it’s necessary for men with age-related testosterone declines. Safety and possible cardiovascular risks have also been under scrutiny. However, the effects of testosterone supplementation on atherosclerosis in older men had not been widely studied.
The research team, led by Shalender Bhasin of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, worked with 308 men whose testosterone levels were low or low-normal (100-400 ng/dL). All of the men were over age 60; their mean age was 68.
Roughly half of the men were randomly assigned to receive 7.5 g of 1% testosterone gel to be used daily. Over time, the dose was adjusted as necessary to maintain testosterone levels between 500 and 900 ng/dL. The other half were given a placebo gel. The men followed their regimen for three years.
Atherosclerosis progression was assessed by measuring carotid artery intima-media thickness and levels of coronary artery calcium. The participants also completed questionnaires designed to evaluate sexual function and health-related quality of life.
When comparing the two groups, the researchers found no significant differences in atherosclerosis progression. For the men taking testosterone, relevant atherosclerosis measurements did not seem to be affected by therapy.
Also, results for sexual function and health-related quality of life assessments didn’t differ significantly between the groups.
Men on testosterone did see increases in hematocrit (percentage of red blood cells) and prostate-specific antigen levels, however.
The authors emphasized that their study did not assess cardiovascular safety.
“Because this trial was only powered to evaluate atherosclerosis progression and not cardiovascular events, these findings should not be interpreted as establishing cardiovascular safety of testosterone use in older men such as those enrolled in this trial,” they wrote.
Resources
JAMA Network
“Testosterone Supplementation Does Not Result in Progression of Atherosclerosis”
(News release. August 11, 2015)
http://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/testosterone-supplementation-does-not-result-in-progression-of-atherosclerosis/
The Journal of the American Medical Association
Basaria, Shehzad, MBBS, et al.
“Effects of Testosterone Administration for 3 Years on Subclinical Atherosclerosis Progression in Older Men With Low or Low-Normal Testosterone Levels
A Randomized Clinical Trial”
(Full-text. August 11, 2015)
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2425744