The Lowdown On Testosterone Supplement and Low T

BY RALPH BLUM

Low testosterone or “low T,” also called hypogonadism, affects millions of aging men. Testosterone levels normally peak in a man’s 20s, then fall by 1% to 2% per year. Indisputably, low T is responsible for reduced sex drive and sense of vitality, erectile dysfunction, decreased energy, and diminished muscle mass and bone density.  As the poet T.S. Eliot reminded us, time the healer is also time the destroyer.

Men through the ages have tried outlandish cures for impotence, including chewing the roasted penis of a wolf! More recently they have plunged the family jewels into cold baths, choked down heaping spoonfuls of wheat germ, swallowed vitamins and most recently stockpiled Viagra.

When, in 1939, two scientists shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their work in isolating and identifying testosterone, the mad rush for injected, implanted, inhaled or absorbed versions of the hormone began, promising, in the words of one product’s pitch, “power, performance, passion.”

In 2013, U.S. sales of testosterone reached $2.4 billion. According to Global Industry Analysts, the market is projected to swell to $3.8 billion by 2018. Moreover, in 2013, 7.5 million prescriptions for testosterone were written. And all this is happening without explicit FDA approval. There have been few, if any, large, randomized studies on the long-term risks or benefits of testosterone supplementation. Some maintain that we are undergoing a massive science experiment with unknown risks. But foggy science has not deterred Big Pharma from spending untold millions to encourage those of us who are wan, limp and flabby to climb onto the low T bandwagon.

Meanwhile, the most heated debate is centered on whether testosterone fuels prostate cancer. Not long ago, the consensus was that, as far as prostate cancer cells were concerned, testosterone was nature’s perfect food. It was like spinach to Popeye. Suppressing the hormone is still a standard part of treating the disease. But attitudes are changing.

The debate goes something like this:  If it’s true that testosterone fuels prostate cancer, why do most men develop the disease when they are older and their testosterone levels are dropping?  Others, however, point out that when men take hormone therapy that virtually stops the production of testosterone, tumors regress. So wouldn’t the opposite be true--adding testosterone should be expected to accelerate tumor growth? I personally believe that my episode of hormone treatment—monthly Lupron injections over a 15 months’ period—helped to delay the growth of my non-aggressive cancer for many years.

So far a few small studies of using testosterone in men with prostate cancer have shown fairly positive results. For example, men who had been treated for prostate cancer and who then received testosterone therapy did not appear to have an increased risk of recurrent disease. But it’s impossible to make broad, generalized statements based on these studies. Chances are the result will depend on a number of variables, not the least of which is the seriousness of the cancer. It seems likely that a man with low-risk of disease recurrence would also have low-risk of testosterone creating a problem. Therefore, it would seem ridiculous to deny that man testosterone when it would improve his quality of life.

There has been a major push for reconsidering testosterone therapy from the large population of men who have been treated for prostate cancer over the last 10-25 years. No surprise there. Which of us wouldn’t prefer to be firm and sharp rather than soft and dull? But remember, marketers are spending millions to raise our expectations, and testosterone is not a silver bullet.

In September, the FDA is gathering a group of experts for a T summit. But it’s doubtful if they will clarify a topic that has more guesses and theories than real answers based on reliable information. Bottom line it is our decision when the conditions are right to use testosterone, and when to refrain. As the old saying goes, “You pays your money and you takes your choice.”