Report: Testosterone gel shows no benefit for older men’s memories
CHICAGO — Testosterone treatment did not improve older men’s memory or mental function in the latest results from landmark government research that challenges the antiaging 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-term effects — the kind of research the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already 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 seven-part 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.
Results published a year ago from the same research linked testosterone with mostly modest improvement in sexual performance, walking strength and mood.
The studies were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association and JAMA Internal Medicine. AbbVie Pharmaceuticals provided its gel for the study and helped pay for the research but had no other role in the study.
The research was not designed to look at risks and does not apply to younger men or those with normal levels of testosterone, said study leader Dr. Peter Snyder, a University of Pennsylvania hormone specialist. It’s also not known if other forms of testosterone supplements would have similar effects in older men with low levels.
Prescription testosterone products including gel are approved only for men with low levels of the hormones caused by various medical conditions. Benefits and risks are unknown in men whose levels are low due only to aging, the FDA says. The agency requires testosterone labels to include possible risks for heart attacks and strokes, based on some previous studies.