And, from the other side....
http://www.gladiatordiet.com/testosterone_study.htm
"No Compelling Evidence" of Prostate Cancer, Heart Disease Risk Found in Study of Testosterone Replacement Therapy
A retrospective analysis by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center published in The New England Journal of Medicine found no causal relationship between testosterone replacement and prostate cancer or heart disease risk.
The comprehensive review of 72 studies, addresses the current controversy about testosterone replacement therapy and its potential health risks to men. "We reviewed decades of research and found no compelling evidence that testosterone replacement therapy increases the incidence of prostate cancer or cardiovascular disease," said Abraham Morgentaler, MD, a urologist at BIDMC and associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School. "Although it would be helpful to have data from long-term, large-scale studies, it must also be recognized that there already exists a substantial body of research on the effects of testosterone in men."
Low levels of testosterone affect an estimated 2 to 4 million men in the United States, a condition termed hypogonadism, and the prevalence of this condition increases with age. The symptoms include diminished libido and sense of vitality, erectile dysfunction, reduced muscle mass and bone density, depression, and anemia.
The causes of hypogonadism may be classified as primary, meaning inadequate function of the testes; secondary, inadequate pituitary stimulation of the testes; or a combination of primary and secondary causes, which is common in older men. Testosterone supplementation, in the form of injections, patches, gels and a buccal tablet, is designed to elevate a hypogonadal man's testosterone levels into the normal physiologic range and alleviate symptoms.
"Testosterone is only for men who have symptoms of low testosterone combined with a confirmatory blood test. Testosterone therapy can be beneficial and safe for these men as long as they are appropriately monitored by their physician," says Morgentaler.
It has been known since the 1940's that severe reductions of testosterone can cause shrinkage of metastatic prostate cancer, and therefore there has been a concern that raising testosterone levels might cause growth of any hidden prostate cancers. However, the study by Ernani L. Rhoden, M.D., and Morgentaler found no connection between higher testosterone levels and prostate cancer, nor did they find evidence that testosterone treatment causes prostate cancer.
In fact, they note that prostate cancer becomes more prevalent exactly at the time of a man's life when testosterone levels decline. To date, prospective studies have demonstrated no difference in prostate cancer incidence among hypogonadal men using testosterone therapy compared to men in the general population.
Regarding benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), multiple studies have failed to demonstrate consistent exacerbation of voiding symptoms during testosterone supplementation. "The impact of testosterone therapy on benign prostate growth appears to be mild," says Rhoden, "and rarely of clinical significance. However, testosterone therapy should be used cautiously in men with severe urinary symptoms."
Monitoring the prostate during testosterone therapy is mandatory, given the theoretical concern that testosterone treatment may stimulate the growth of an occult cancer. Before and during treatment men should undergo regular evaluation, with a digital examination of the prostate, and a blood test called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Patients with an abnormal prostate exam or an elevated PSA should undergo a prostate biopsy before initiating testosterone replacement to exclude the possibility that cancer is present. To monitor BPH, they recommend determining a base-line voiding history at the start of treatment and assessing urinary symptoms at follow-up. The belief that testosterone may be a risk factor in cardiovascular disease is based on the observation that more men than women have cardiovascular events and men have higher testosterone levels than women. However, Rhoden and Morgentaler write that few, if any, data support a causal relation between higher testosterone levels and heart disease.
Indeed, several studies suggest that higher testosterone levels may actually have a favorable effect on atherosclerosis and heart disease. Studies of testosterone replacement therapy have not demonstrated an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, stroke, or angina, according to the retrospective analysis.
Rhoden and Morgentaler describe other potential risks or side effects from testosterone replacement therapy as infrequent (acne or oily skin, sleep apnea); rarely of clinical significance (fluid retention); or reversible with cessation of treatment (gynecomastia, testicular atrophy or infertility). Testosterone treatment should be used cautiously or not at all in men with advanced liver disease. Skin reactions are commonly encountered in men being treated with the patch with a low incidence observed with testosterone gel.
And....
http://chealth.canoe.ca/health_news_det ... ws_id=8682
Heart attack linked to low testosterone levels Oct. 6, 2003
Provided by: Sun Media
What caused the sudden heart attack? Ask anyone this question and many would accuse too much cholesterol, chronic stress, smoking, obesity or bad genetics. But what about the role of the male hormone testosterone in causing cardiovascular disease? Is erectile dysfunction (ED) an early warning sign of heart attack? And what can we learn about testosterone treatment from a London Harley St. specialist?
Recently, much has been written about the male menopause (andropause). How decreasing amounts of testosterone contribute to the increasing number of impotent males. But it appears there's more to testosterone than sexual potency.
To find out about this exciting aspect of testosterone, I recently met with Dr. Peter Collins, professor of Clinical Cardiology at the Imperial College of Science and Medicine in London, England, a leading expert on testosterone and coronary heart disease.
Dr. Collins notes that it's been known for years that men are more likely than women to suffer a coronary attack before age 50. Physicians believed that estrogen protects women from this disease, while in males testosterone was the culprit.
FLOW OF BLOOD
However, he believes studies now show this assumption to be wrong. Rather, mounting evidence demonstrates that normal amounts of testosterone help to protect against coronary disease. And that males with low testosterone may be more likely to suffer heart attack.
For instance, Collins' research shows that testosterone increases the flow of blood through coronary arteries by as much as 15% to 20%. This explains why patients suffering from angina (chest pain that occurs during exercise) have been helped by testosterone treatment. In addition to increasing blood flow testosterone also decreases blood cholesterol and fibrinogen, the small particles that help to form blood clots.
Another researcher, Dr. Steven Grover, professor of medicine at McGill University, recently reported that erectile dysfunction may be an early warning signal for cardiovascular disease.
He says, "In approximately 25% of cardiovascular patients the first symptom of cardiovascular disease is that they drop dead." No one would call this an encouraging symptom. All the more reason for finding a sign to indicate an attack is likely to happen.
Dr. Grover's study compared 4,000 men with and without cardiovascular disease. It showed that men with cardiovascular disease had a 54% probability of having ED than those without cardiovascular disease.
He believes this suggests that ED may be an early warning sign that heart disease is present. "If this is the case then doctors would be screening patients for ED, not because they want to probe into their bedroom activities, but rather to determine their risk of cardiovascular disease," he says.
This study by Dr. Grover should not be a surprising finding. A satisfactory sexual response depends on adequate flow of blood into the male organ. And with hardening of the arteries, diminished blood flow isn't going to help sexual response.
Testosterone also helps to fight one of this nation's biggest killers. Obese diabetics often develop what is known as insulin resistance. They may have adequate amounts of insulin, but the cells refuse to accept it. It's like having enough gas in the car, but the engine refuses to use it. Testosterone's beneficial effect is increasing the effectiveness of insulin.
While in London, I also met with Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, a distinguished Harley Street pioneer in testosterone treatment. He's treated 1,500 impotent males, those who had lost the tiger-in-the-tank, lacked energy, were depressed and suffering from impotence.
Carruthers sent a strong message about the treatment of andropause patients. He claimed Canadian doctors were fortunate that an oral form of testosterone (Andriol) is available in Canada. But doctors , he says, rely too much on blood testosterone levels in deciding whether or not to treat patients. And that often the correlation between blood levels and symptoms is weak. He believes doctors should trust symptoms more when treating andropause.
During an afternoon at Dr. Carruthers' clinic, several happy males were being treated. One elderly male left with a gleam in his eye. He left no doubt that he would shortly be courting his lady. And in this pursuit, testosterone may also protect him from a heart attack.
What may be happining is that while low levels increase your risks, high (as in higher-than-normal) levels may also increase your risks.
