Testosterone Replacement May Help Protect Against Cardiovascular Issues

Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration ordered testosterone replacement therapies to carry warnings on their labels of an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

“But our study finds that taking testosterone, when levels are in the low to low normal range, may not improve sexual function or quality of life”, he claimed in a paper which appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

No significant between-group difference was found in the rate of change in intima-media thickness (0.010 mm/year in the placebo group vs. 0.012 mm/year in the testosterone group; P=.89) or in the rate of change in the coronary artery calcium score (41.4 vs. 31.4 Agatston units/year; P=.54).

He added that if this is the case, the mechanism does not appear to be through the treatment’s impact on atherogenesis. Other groups say no such benefit.

In the TEAAM trial, 156 participants received 7.5 g of 1% of topically administered testosterone gel daily for 3 years, and 152 participants received placebo gel packets during this period. To be included in the study, men had to have testosterone levels of 100-400 ng/dL or free testosterone levels less than 50 pg/mL.

Importantly, all three groups were “propensity matched” so the comparisons would be between men with similar health profiles. None of these between-group differences were statistically significant.

In the 3 year observation at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, it was proved that testosterone therapy showed no effect in arteries hardening in the older men who has very low sex hormone levels and did not showed any quality of life and improved the sexual function.

Changes in intima-media thickness or calcium scores were not associated with change in testosterone levels among study participants treated with testosterone.

“Our study has important implications for clinical practice, and for older men who are seeking testosterone therapy”, said Bhasin. “But what our study shows is that middle aged and older men whose testosterone levels are in the normal range – or slightly below normal – do not benefit to the same degree, and that they should not indiscriminately use testosterone”, stated endocrinologist Dr. Shalender Bhasin.

He noted that although several large, randomized trials evaluating TRT in older men are nearing completion, including the NIH’s TTrial, they are not designed to determine CVD risk.

Testosterone sales have grown rapidly over the last decade, but few studies have examined the long-term effects of taking testosterone on cardiovascular health and other important outcomes.

Bhasin disclosed relevant relationships with AbbVie, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi.

Researchers wrote within the research that future research might want to make clear the consequences of testosterone on the cardiovascular system.

One co-author disclosed a relevant relationship with Eli Lily.