Previous studies have linked testosterone replacement therapy to an increased risk for cardiovascular complications. Now an in-depth analysis of testosterone research carried out between 1940 and 2014 has come to a very different conclusion.
The authors report in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings that men with naturally higher serum testosterone have less severe coronary artery disease. Testosterone therapy is associated with less obesity, smaller waist circumference, improved exercise capacity, as well as stronger bones and better blood sugar control.
The investigators conclude that there is no basis for warning that testosterone supplementation increases cardiovascular danger. They believe that it may in fact lower risk factors and improve mortality statistics.
Until a large placebo-controlled trial is carried out over many years, it will be impossible to determine whether testosterone therapy is a boon or a boondoggle.
