Men use the hormone testosterone to enhance their wellbeing in a variety of ways; some use it to lose weight, while others say it helps them improve their muscle wellness or energy. Either way, men in the US have touted testosterone as the fountain of youth, as a new study has found that prescriptions for testosterone therapy have increased significantly in the past 10 years.
The new study, which appears in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that while 50% of the men who received testosterone therapy had lower than normal levels of testosterone, approximately 25% did not have their testosterone levels tested before starting the treatment. The findings suggest that the hormone is being used as an anti-ageing method, rather than a medically necessary treatment. However, it’s not just men in the US who can’t resist the temptation of testosterone.
Two new Australian testosterone products – a long-acting injection and a gel – has caused testosterone prescribing to increase in all states and territories, says Dr David Handelsman from the Anzac Research Institute. His research shows that the number of men using long-acting testosterone injections almost doubled between 1992 and 2010. According to Dr Handelsman, ‘It’s wasteful, it’s misguided, it’s not rational prescribing. The risks are accelerating cardiovascular disease and accelerating prostate disease. The risks are not facts yet but they are very good reasons to be cautious.’
You can be prescribed testosterone if you suffer androgen deficiency or a condition called Klinefelter syndrome, but Dr Handlesman asserts that diagnoses of the conditions haven’t increased at all. Rather, testosterone is being promoted with ‘speculative, non-approved indications such as andro-pause (male menopause) or male sexual dysfunction,’ Dr Handlesman says. ‘It is highly marketable with an easily connected popularity which creates a demand that bypasses sound clinical practice.’
However, there are legitimate reasons for men to use testosterone, and clinical trials are currently underway to determine if testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) could be used as a potential treatment for a range of conditions, including obesity and diabetes, and even the ageing process. In 2010, the preliminary results of a Prince Henry Institute study, based in Melbourne, found that TRT helped ageing and obese men to experience a reduction of body fat and improved muscle mass.