A US advisory committee has warned that older men should not take supplementary testosterone as an anti-aging agent until further research has been done to assess the risks and benefits of such hormone therapy. The panel admit that there is some evidence that supplementary testosterone could help to combat a failing memory, declining strength, and a flagging sex drive, however they added that there is simply not enough evidence to show that testosterone therapy is safe. The committee said that men should consider the findings of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study before embarking on testosterone replacement therapy. The WHI study found that estrogen replacement offered few, if any benefits, to postmenopausal women, and significantly increased their risk of developing breast cancer and lung clots. The main concern with testosterone replacement therapy is that it could accelerate benign enlargement of the prostate gland, or even increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. There is a massive and rapidly expanding market for testosterone in the US. The annual market for the hormone is $400 million, and an estimated 1.75 million prescriptions for the hormone were written in 2002 – a 170% increase from 1999.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 12th November 2003.
