Testosterone gel fails to help memory in older men

Research challenges claims of supplements

CHICAGO — Testosterone treatment did not improve older men’s memory or mental function in the latest results fromlandmark government research that challenges the anti-aging claims of popular supplements.

While testosterone use for one year appeared to strengthen bones and reduce anemia, it also showed signs of worsening artery disease and questions remain about other potential risks. The researchers said more studies are needed to determine long-termeffects — the kind of research the Food and Drug Administration has asked supplement makers to conduct.

“I don’t think anybody would interpret these results as saying, ‘Wow, this is a fountain of youth, this is a magical anti-aging potion,’ ” said study co-author Susan Ellenberg, a University of Pennsylvania researcher.

The results are from the final four studies in a sevenpart project mostly funded by the National Institute on Aging, involving nearly 800 U.S. men aged 65 and older with low testosterone levels. The goal was to see if rubbing testosterone gel on the skin daily for a year could treat problems linked with low levels of the male hormone, which declines with age. Half the men in each group used the real thing and half used fake gel. The key new findings: Testosterone had no effect on memory or mental function, based on tests given before, halfway and at the end of treatment to nearly 500 men with agerelated memory decline.

Among almost 140 men who underwent heart artery imaging tests to see if the hormone slowed progression of plaque, those who used testosterone had more plaque buildup and narrower arteries after a year than the fake gel group. Those changes could signal increased chances for heart attacks although none occurred in the study. Men in this sub-study were already more vulnerable for heart problems.

Among about 200 men given bone imaging tests before and at the end of treatment, those on testosterone showed increases in bone density and strength, especially in the spine, while minimal changes were found in the group that used fake gel. The improvementwas similar to bone changes seen with treatment for osteoporosis.

Among 126 men with anemia, a fatigue-linked condition involving inadequate red blood cells, those on testosterone showed substantial improvement. By the study’s end, anemia had vanished in almost 60 percent ofmenon testosterone.

The studies were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association and JAMA InternalMedicine.