We could not survive without hormones. They are among the most common and vital chemical messengers in the body. From head to toe, each moment of life, they signal cells to perform tasks that range from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Among their many roles, hormones help regulate body temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. In childhood, they help us "grow up." In the teen years, they are the driving force behind puberty.
But what influence, if any, the natural decline in some hormones has on the aging process in middle and late life is unclear. Although a few proponents are convinced that hormone supplements and testosterone therapy can favorably alter the aging process and have advocated their widespread use, the scientific evidence supporting this premise is, for the most part, sketchy.
WHAT IS A HORMONE?
Hormones are powerful chemicals that help keep our bodies working normally. They stimulate, regulate, and control the function of various tissues and organs.
Levels of some hormones, actually increase as a normal part of the aging process. But the levels of a number of other hormones, such as testosterone in men, tend to decrease over time.
In other cases, the body may fail to make enough of a hormone due to diseases and disorders that can develop at any age. When this occurs, hormone supplements - pills, shots, topical (rub- on) gels and medicated patches - may be prescribed.
In the case of erectile dysfunction, and the use of testosterone-therapy, one must be cautious.
Unproven claims that taking hormone supplements can make people feel young again or that they can slow or prevent aging have been hot news items for several years. The reality is that no one has yet shown that supplements of these hormones prevent frailty or add years to people's lives.
And while some supplements provide health benefits for people with genuine deficiencies of certain hormones, they can also cause harmful side effects. In any case, people who have diagnosed hormone deficiencies should take them only under a doctor's supervision.
Remember: More is not necessarily better. The right balance of hormones helps us stay healthy, but the wrong amount might be damaging.
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Ask an average man about testosterone therapy, and he might tell you that this hormone helps transform a boy into a man. Or, he might tell you that it has something to do with sex drive. Or, if he has read news stories in recent years, he might mention male menopause, a condition supposedly caused by diminishing testosterone levels in aging men.
In reality, according to the National Institute Of Aging, there is scant evidence that this controversial condition, also known as andropause or viropause, exists, and that testosterone therapy can be of help.
Testosterone is indeed a vital sex hormone that plays an important role in puberty. In men, testosterone not only regulates sex drive (libido), it also helps regulate bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength, and the production of red blood cells and sperm.
But contrary to what some people believe, testosterone isn't exclusively a male hormone. Women produce small amounts of it in their bodies as well. In men, testosterone is produced in the testes, the reproductive glands that also produce sperm. The amount of testosterone produced in the testes is regulated by the hypothalam and the pituitary gland.
As men age, their testes often produce somewhat less testosterone than they did during adolescence and early adulthood, when production of this hormone peaks. But it is important to keep in mind that the range of normal testosterone production is large.
It is unclear how much of a decline or how low a level of testosterone is needed to cause adverse effects. The likelihood that an aging man will ever experience a major shutdown of testosterone production similar to a woman's menopause are very remote.
In fact, many of the changes that take place in older men often are incorrectly blamed on decreasing testosterone levels. Some men who have erectile dysfunction, for instance, may be tempted to blame this problem on lowered testosterone. However, in many cases, erectile difficulties are due to circulatory problems, not low testosterone. Testosterone therapy is not always the answer.
Still, some men may be helped by testosterone therapy supplementation. These FDA approved products are prescribed for men whose bodies make very little or no testosterone - for example, men - whose pituitary glands have been damaged or destroyed by trauma, infections or tumors, or whose testes have been damaged.
For the few men who have extreme deficiencies, testosterone therapy in the form of patches, injections, or topical gels may offer substantial benefit. Testosterone therapy products may help a man with exceptionally low testosterone levels maintain strong muscles and bones, and increase sex drive.
However, what effects testosterone replacement therapy may have in healthy older men, without these extreme deficiencies requires more research.
The National Institue of Aging is investigating the role of testosterone therapy in delaying or preventing frailty. Results from preliminary studies involving small groups of men have been inconclusive, and it remains unclear to what degree supplementation of this hormone can sharpen memory or help men maintain stout muscles, sturdy bones, and robust sexual activity.
Many other questions remain about the use of this hormone in late life. It is unclear, for example, whether men who are at the lower end of the normal range of testosterone production would benefit from supplementation.
Some investigators are also concerned about the long term harmful effects that supplemental testosterone therapy might have on the aging body. While some epidemiologic studies suggest that higher levels of testosterone are not associated with the higher levels of prostate cancer, it is not yet known if testosterone therapy increases the risk of such cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death among men.
In addition to potentially promoting new prostate cancers, testosterone also may promote the growth of those that have already developed. Studies also suggest that supplementation might trigger excessive red blood cell production in some men. This side effect can thicken blood and increase a man's risk of stroke.
TESTOSTERONE THERAPY FOR ED : THE BOTTOM LINE
Although some older men who have tried testosterone therapy report feeling more energetic or younger, testosterone supplementation remains a scientifically unproven method for preventing or relieving any physical and psychological changes that men with normal testosteone levels may experience as they get older.
Until more scientifically rigorous studies are conducted, the question of whether the benefits of testosterone supplementation outweigh any of its potential negative effects remains unanswered. People with genuine deficiencies of hormones should consult with their doctors about supplements.
Meanwhile, people who choose to take any hormone supplement without a doctor’s supervision should be aware that these supplements appear to have few clear-cut benefits for healthy individuals, and no proven influence on the aging process.