Is Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) Right for Me?
With 14 million men in America now said to have hypogonadism or low testosterone, many are asking themselves this same question. It is a tough conversation to have and some men are nervous to bring it up with their general physician but low testosterone is a real problem that can increase your risk of real health issues like Cardio Vascular Disease and Diabetes.
"Epidemiological studies support a bidirectional relationship between serum testosterone and obesity as well as between testosterone and the metabolic syndrome. Low serum total testosterone predicts the development of central obesity and accumulation of intra-abdominal fat. Also, low total and free testosterone and SHBG levels are associated with an increased risk of developing the metabolic syndrome, independent of age and obesity."
So if optimizing testosterone levels can decrease our risk of CVD and Diabetes shouldn't all men with a deficiency get treatment? If you had diabetes would you take insulin? Of course you would, so if you have hypogonadism why wouldn't you take testosterone? We absolutely think you should optimize your testosterone levels if you are low and we have seen first hand how it can help get men off statins, blood pressure meds and even antidepressants.
So why isn't testosterone therapy more popular? Recently you may have seen the commercials referring to a study that showed testosterone therapy can increase your risk of CVD or even heart attack and stroke (study). Well we were surprised to see this study surface like many other experts in the field and since its release many of those same experts have stepped forward to oppose the findings. A closer look shows us that all of the men in the study actually had a pre-existing heart condition and to top that off it was a retrospective study and not a clinical trial. A retrospective study means they simply gathered data from a database of men that had been on TRT in the past. So its very hard to say if the men in the study were being monitored or even taking the medication properly. The results are also somewhat controversial because the group that received TRT actually had a smaller percentage of adverse events, yet because the authors used an un-widely known statistical methodology the conclusion somehow shows an increased risk of disease. Here is what Dr Morgantaler from the University of Harvard who may be the worlds leading expert on TRT had to say about the study:
So far 29 different medical associations have asked for the misleading testosterone therapy study to be removed. Most do not consider it of any value at all:
"It is impossible for the scientific community to have any confidence in the results of a study when there have been unrecognized errors involving more than a thousand individuals, and nearly 10% of a dataset is populated by the wrong gender. The study by Vigen et al is no longer credible. In the interests of science and the medical literature, we urge you to retract this article immediately."
Letter to JAMA Asking for Retraction of Misleading Article on Testosterone Therapy
Evidence on Testosterone Therapy Does Not Support Cardiac Risk (3/18)
Study of 83,000 Veterans Finds Cardiovascular Benefits to Testosterone Replacement (10/15)
Role Of Testosterone In The Treatment Of Cardiovascular Disease (9/17)
Testosterone in Men with Hypogonadism and High Cardiovascular Risk, Pros (3/15)
Injected TRT Earns High Marks for Safety, Effectiveness (4/15)
So is TRT right for you? If you are having the classic symptoms of a testosterone deficiency then you most likely have some sort of deficiency and should get your hormone levels checked to confirm. These symptoms include but are not limited to the following:
- Trouble Sleeping at Night
- Lower Sex Drive
- Trouble Concentrating
- Trouble Recovering from Vigorous Exercise
- Lack of Motivation
- Android Fat Accumulation
- Low Energy and Endurance
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