TESTOSTERONE AND AGE
There appears little doubt that Testosterone levels in both sexes reduce with age and have significant impact on the health and well-being of that age group. Recent evidence speculates low testosterone results in Alzheimers Disease, surely the most heart-breaking illness, for otherwise healthy people.
60+ is the largest age group with Testosterone deficiency,2 but it is by no means the only age group where it occurs, as could be interpreted from reading recent publicity about the "Andropause".The Baltimore study of Aging Men2 has been an important source of information. Numbers of men with Hypogonadism appeared to be approximately 2-3% in the 20-29 age group, rising to 10% twenty years later and over thirty percent between the ages of 60 and 69. Significantly perhaps, the study also demonstrates a surprising 25% of males did not suffer from reduced Testosterone levels.2 The question is therefore raised. Is Hypogonadism a natural phenomenon of human life getting old, or is it a preventable disease that affects many males and females in varying degrees as they go through life?
Many hypotheses exist in considering the Testosterone phenomenon.15, 49 69 166The Andropause (natural aging)has been widely publicised, but there is much evidence to suggest that external influences are the primary cause of the problem. Some influential researchers consider the Andropause to be a myth. Whatever the truth of its origins, Testosterone depletion is a serious condition with unpleasant consequences on other health aspects as it continues untreated.1 134
The consistent conclusions in research articles and commentaries have been to suggest Testosterone therapy is beneficial to older men and women with Testosterone deficiency, particularly where disease, obesity and illness have taken their toll. Although there are equally consistent noises from health authorities and scientists world wide regarding the absence of long-term studies, the preponderance of evidence weighs heavily towards a sensible approach to restoring reasonable Testosterone levels using a daily preparation.1, 78, 175
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Opinion
The increasing incidence of Testosterone deficiency with age would seem to indicate a gradual problem, rather than sudden onset at an older age. Research models tend to reflect when tests slide "out of range", but laboratory ranges of LH, FSH and Serum Testosterone are wide so there is no telling at which point the decline of production, and the onset of Hypogonadism actually begins.
A Testosterone profile would be helpful to the health of boys and men, at or just after, important stages of their development. The addition of a Testosterone profile in annual health checks after age thirty would no doubt assist in the early detection and suitable treatment of men and women with this progressive condition.