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Clav specifically mentions using it to combat "dopamine toxicity." High levels of oxidative stress in the brain can damage dopaminergic neurons. Beta blockers work by blocking the effects of the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline), thereby slowing the heart rate and reducing blood pressure. In a longevity context, exogenous HGH is used to improve skin thickness, increase bone density, reduce body fat, and accelerate recovery from physical stress. Exogenous testosterone suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, shutting down the body's natural production of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which are required for spermatogenesis. At Total T Clinic, we specialize in personalized hormone therapy to help men reclaim their strength, confidence, and longevity. We provide a holistic approach to men’s health, combining hormone therapy with nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle modifications for maximum results.
Concerns about the potential adverse effects of testosterone treatment on cardiovascular disease have previously contributed to caution in prescribing testosterone to those who have, or who are at risk of, cardiovascular disease. A recent randomized controlled crossover trial assessed the effects of intramuscular testosterone replacement to achieve levels within the physiological range, compared with placebo injections in 24 men with diabetes, hypogonadism and a mean age of 64 years (Kapoor et al 2006). Overall there is evidence that testosterone treatment increases lean body mass and reduces obesity, particularly visceral obesity, in a variety of populations including aging men. There have been less consistent results with regard to the effects of testosterone treatment of muscle strength. There is no data as yet to confirm that the improvement in bone density with testosterone treatment reduces fractures in men and this is an important area for future study.
Three randomized placebo-controlled trials of testosterone treatment in aging males have been conducted (Snyder et al 1999; Kenny et al 2001; Amory et al 2004). Men with aromatase deficiency (Carani et al 1997) or defunctioning estrogen receptor mutations (Smith et al 1994) have been found to have abnormally low bone density despite normal or high testosterone levels which further emphasizes the important influence of estrogen on male bone density. Serum estrogen was also found to correlate better than testosterone with peak bone mass (Khosla et al 2001) but this is in contradiction of a more recent study showing a negative correlation of estrogen with peak bone size (Lorentzon et al 2005). Many effects of testosterone are thought to fully develop in the first few months of treatment but effects on bone, for example, have been shown to continue over two years or more (Snyder et al 2000; Wang, Cunningham et al 2004). Many interventional trials of the effects of testosterone on human health and disease have been conducted.
Certainly erectile dysfunction is considered part of the clinical syndrome of hypogonadism, and questions regarding erectile dysfunction form part of the clinical assessment of patients with hypogonadism (Morley et al 2000; Moore et al 2004). It is not known whether this reflects an increase in incidence, as prostate cancer is very common and because the monitoring for cancer in patients treated with testosterone is greater. Indirect evidence of the importance of androgens in the development of prostate cancer is provided by case control study findings of a shorter, more active CAG repeat sequence in the androgen receptor gene of patients with prostate cancer compared with controls (Hsing et al 2000, 2002). One study found that 14% of hypogonadal men, with normal digital rectal examination and PSA levels, had histological prostate cancer on biopsy. Autopsy studies have found histological prostate cancer to be very common, with one series showing a prevalence of greater than fifty percent in men over age sixty (Holund 1980).
In view of the overlap in symptoms between hypogonadism, aging and other medical conditions it is wise to use a formal method of symptom assessment which can be used to monitor the effects of testosterone replacement. The diagnosis of late-onset hypogonadism requires the combination of low serum testosterone levels with symptoms of hypogonadism. For decades, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) was primarily seen as a tool to boost energy, sex drive, and muscle mass in men with low testosterone levels. "We now have several decades of high-quality research showing remarkable longevity and health benefits in men with normal testosterone levels compared with men with low levels," says Abraham Morgentaler, M.D., at Harvard Medical School and the author of Testosterone for Life. Conventional medicine only tests your testosterone if you’re experiencing symptoms of lower testosterone levels. In addition to these, having too-high testosterone levels put you at risk for health conditions including cancer, cardiac complications, and irritability (9).

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