Today, leading researchers are gathering at the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society in San Diego to present the latest research on men's health issues, treatments and lifestyle practices. New findings could help doctors identify risks and treat men's conditions more effectively.
Men's health is becoming increasingly important in the medical industry, especially following the introduction of erectile dysfunction drugs to the mass markets. Researchers are looking for ways to increase muscle mass, enhance quality of life and evaluate male behavior all in response to testosterone administration.
The new studies presented below will be presented in a press conference in San Diego on Monday, June 6 at 2:00pm PT, during ENDO 2005, the 87th Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society.
Effects of Testosterone Dosage on Behavior of Older Males
New research shows that older and younger men experience different reactions to testosterone dosage regarding sexual function and visuospatial cognition and that different aspects of male behavior are affected by testosterone doses.
A group of healthy men, ages 60-75, were prescribed testosterone- production inhibitors and were randomly assigned five dosage levels of testosterone to be taken over a 20-week period. In addition to affecting sexual function and visuospatial cognition, testosterone doses were all tested for their effects on mood. Questionnaires were used to score sexual function based on libido, sexual activity and erectile dysfunction. Based on this questionnaire, libido only increased with testosterone usage in those men that were sexually active at the beginning of the study. Mood was measured by using the Hamilton Depression Inventory and the Young Mania Scale, and no effects of testosterone were observed in either mood rating.
These results indicate that, when taken together with previous data from studies in young men, testosterone dose-response relationships for sexual function and visuospatial cognition differ in older and young men.
Testosterone Replacement Therapy Decreases Fat and Increases Muscle
New studies show testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in older men decreases fat surrounding the organs and increases skeletal muscle. Prior studies measured the effects of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in older men, including obese and non-obese participants, thus skewing the results of baseline fat accumulation in the body.
In an effort to gauge the effects of testosterone replacement therapy in a concentrated, tailored study, healthy 55-year old men with androgen deficiency symptoms participated in a 52-week study and received either TRT or a placebo. Doctors monitored their baseline body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and mean serum.