Testosterone The Fountain of Youth?

By Frank Melograno, MD

Life Force MD, LLC

More Senior Health Articles

Testosterone The Fountain of Youth?

With each passing year there is more and more conversation referencing 60 being the new 40 and ways in which to stave off the aging process. Anti-aging is becoming a hotbed topic in medicine. It continues to attract more and more physician interest as patients from the baby boomer generation seek ways in which to maintain their youth and vibrancy.

So what role does testosterone play, if any, in helping to keep men robust and youthful? Well, here are some things we know about testosterone.

1. Most men start to suffer a slow erosion of testosterone starting sometime in their thirties where it begins to decrease by 1-2% per year.

2. Men who are in their 50's will as a group naturally have lower testosterone than men in their thirties. Also, men in their 70's will as a group naturally have lower testosterone than men in their fifties.

3. Because testosterone decreases slowly with age, the effect of the decrease can sometimes be something slow and difficult to notice.

Here is the good news

1. We are finding that men with low testosterone, if they seek treatment to have it adjusted back into the normal and healthy range will start to feel dramatic improvements with their symptoms. When patients are treated they can recapture healthy levels very quickly, so they naturally notice a profound change in how they feel. Suddenly they will have more energy, be able to get better results in the gym, rekindled a more tangible interest in their sex life along with improved performance, sleep better and think clearer without a mental fog that accompanies many patients with low testosterone.

2. We know that testosterone is a powerful and natural anti-inflammatory, so this means patients are less likely to develop certain inflammatory processes surrounding the cardio-vascular system. What this indicates is they are able to hedge against having certain disease processes entrench that are commonly found in men as they age.

More good news is that to be evaluated for your testosterone health is a simple process. A physician can access this quickly through blood tests and by also examining the patient and having them complete certain standardized questionnaires.

If you have been feeling tired, can't lose weight, have no sex drive or can't focus mentally you may be suffering from low testosterone. Talk with your physician and get it checked.