1. Testosterone improves fertility.
False. Testosterone, particularly at the levels commonly used by athletes for performance enhancement, can effectively sterilize a man and cause his testicles to shrink and become soft. 2. Being overweight has nothing to do with testosterone levels. Wrong. Extra fat on the body acts like a sponge, taking testosterone out of the blood and reducing libido, energy and other male-related characteristics. This is particularly true if the fat is carried around the belly or abdomen. Fat carried on the thighs or buttocks has less testosterone-draining effects. 3. Men can raise their testosterone levels by exercising vigorously. The relationship between testosterone and exercise is complicated. Yes, moderate exercise can raise testosterone levels somewhat, but if exercise is extreme, testosterone levels can actually drop. It’s also true that low testosterone makes it harder to exercise, which can lead to a vicious cycle of inactivity and reduced hormone levels. 4. Male mid-life crises have nothing to do with testosterone. I believe that many times when men say they are bored with their careers, their wives, or their general lot in life, they are actually suffering from low testosterone. I call this phenomenon “menoporche” because I’ve seen guys who think buying a hot new car will give them a shot of sex appeal or attractiveness, when, in fact, they would be much better off getting their testosterone level checked. 5. Testosterone supplements are safe because they have to be approved by the FDA. Wrong. In fact, as of this writing, the government does not regulate the sale or use of products containing compounds that get converted into testosterone. Testosterone or testosterone precursors should only be used under a doctor’s supervision and testosterone levels should only be raised to normal levels. 6. Low testosterone causes depression. True, but that’s just half the story. Most men don’t know that depression, or depressed mood, can lower their testosterone levels. Since many men don’t recognize signs of their own depression, or are reluctant to seek help treating depression, this is a significant problem for millions of men. Sometimes restoring testosterone levels can also alleviate symptoms of depression – and sometimes alleviating the depression with psychotherapy and/or antidepressant medications can raise testosterone levels. 7. Erection-enhancing medications (such as Viagra) work whether a man has normal testosterone levels or not. Studies show that erection-enhancing medications work best in men with testosterone levels in the normal range. Testosterone provides the necessary urge to have sex that erection-enhancing drugs cannot provide. 8. Testosterone therapy is really just a form of cosmetic pharmacology – it’s just something middle-aged men try to make themselves feel young. Wrong. Testosterone replacement for men of any age who have below-normal levels is a valid medical treatment for a condition with clear potential to degrade overall health and well-being. Failure to treat hypogonadism puts men at higher risk for frailty, osteoporosis, heart disease and, perhaps, Alzheimer’s disease. 9. Low testosterone is only a problem for old men. False. Certainly the older you are, the more likely you are to have low testosterone, but this condition can affect any man, even teenagers. Conditions such as varicoceles, undescended testicles, and certain genetic problems can cause below-normal testosterone levels which need to be diagnosed and corrected as quickly as possible. 10. The only way to boost testosterone levels is with shots. Several options are now available for testosterone replacement therapy, some of which work by coaxing the body to increase testosterone levels naturally rather than by dumping testosterone directly into the bloodstream one way or the other.
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Okay, so we knew this image would get your attention. Most people know that testosterone plays a key role in the creation of muscle mass and strong bones, but did you know that it also impacts the development of men’s deeper voices, body heard and contributes to sex drive and libido too. There are several benefits to having higher testosterone:
Where and how is is made
Testosterone is certainly the most important hormone when it comes to sexual characteristics in men. Produced by the male testes, testosterone influences who men are physically, emotionally and sexually. Testosterone productions starts with signals that are transported from the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus produces a hormone called gonadotropin. This hormone transmits to the pituitary gland, which is then stimulated to produce follicle-stimulating hormones. These hormones run from the pituitary gland to the testicles and tell the testes to produce testosterone. The brain is then able to sense when the body has enough or too much testosterone and regulate its production through the pituitary gland. How does Testosterone affect our body The presence of testosterone is vital for the development of the most important male organs: the testes and penis. It also functions to produce facial hair, pubic hair and even accounts for the baritone in your voice. Without the presence of testosterone, many men would be weaklings. Testosterone is responsible for muscle and bone growth, as well as bone density. Your libido, or sex drive, is governed by how much testosterone your body produces. If your body produces a low amount of testosterone, you will encounter issues in regards to your sexual desire.
A doctor needs to order testosterone blood test for you
Most men want to fight back against the signs of aging. The first step includes understanding what the signs of low T may be. Here are some of the things to look for:
Talk to your doctor if you experience any of the symptoms above Almost weekly there are more and more scientific studies show the negative consequences of low testosterone
Testosterone and male health go hand in hand according to many new research studies. Scientific reasarch now links low T levels to many ailments that men can get as they get older. Obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure have been linked to Low Testosterone That being said low T is not the cause of all these ailments and there is no guarantee that replacing testosterone can improve these health conditions. Common ailments associated with Low T include:
Are you low on testosterone? You could be, if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:
Declining Libido
Lack of Energy
Optimal Testosterone Levels Tied to Survival in Older Men: Higher and lower levels of testosterone (T) and its metabolites may raise mortality risk in older men, according to a study published online Nov. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Bu B. Yeap, MBBS, PhD, from the University of Western Australia in Perth, and colleagues studied link between T and its metabolites dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol (E2) and any cause and heart disease related death in 3,690 community-dwelling men (aged 70–89 years). Early morning samples were collected between 2001 and 2004 and data were linked to mortality through December 2010. The researchers found that there were 974 deaths (26.4%), including 325 from heart problems . Men who died had lower baseline Testosterone dihydrotestosone and estradiol. Low testosterone was associated with all-cause mortality. There was an association between higher DHT and lower death from heart attack. "Optimal androgen levels are a biomarker for survival because older men with midrange levels of T and DHT had the lowest death rates from any cause, whereas those with higher DHT had lower IHD mortality," the authors write. |
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