Category Archives: Testosterone Information



Obesity leads to brain inflammation, and low testosterone makes it worse


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 11th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes June 17, 2013 Low testosterone worsens the harmful effects of obesity in the nervous system, a new study in mice finds. The results will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. "Low testosterone and obesity are common in aging men, and each is associated with type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease," said the study's lead investigator, Anusha Jayaraman, PhD, of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "Our new findings demonstrate that obesity and low testosterone combine to not only increase the risk of diabetes but also damage the brain." The study -- … Read more »

Testosterone Transdermal Patch: MedlinePlus Drug Information


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 11th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Transdermal testosterone comes as a patch to apply to the skin. It is usually applied each night between 8:00 p.m. and midnight and left in place for 24 hours. Apply testosterone patches at around the same time every evening. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use testosterone patch(es) exactly as directed. Do not apply more or fewer patches or apply the patches more often than prescribed by your doctor. Choose a spot on your back, stomach, thighs, or upper arms to apply your patch(es). … Read more »

Some painkillers push low testosterone risk five-fold: Study


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 10th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washintgon, Feb 1 (IANS) People taking long-acting pain killers for extended periods face a five-times greater risk of low testosterone, the male sex hormone, a new study says. The study is the first to compare the use of short-acting opioids, which immediately release the drug, taken every four to six hours, and long-acting opioids, which slowly release the medication and are taken every eight to 12 hours. The 81 men involved in the study were between 26 and 79 years old (median age 51) and were seen in the chronic-pain clinic at Kaiser Permanente's Santa Rosa Medical Centre, California (KPSRMC), … Read more »

How Low Testosterone Affects Your Health


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 10th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Dropping levels of this male hormone can cause more than sexual problems. It can also affect your mood, weight, and concentration. Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, DO, MS Pete Evans knew something was wrong when he had sudden problems getting an erection. At 52, he had always had an active sex life. Even the bone marrow transplant he underwent in the summer of 2009 had little effect on his libido. Then, six months after the transplant, he lost his ability -- and his appetite -- for sex. "After the operation, I had tons of energy, great libido. Then suddenly, things just … Read more »

Study: Testosterone might make men more likely to get flu


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 9th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Testosterone: its the hormone doctors say makes men feel like tough guys, but according to a new study it might make men more vulnerable than women to at least one outside threat. Researchers at Stanford University now say men with higher levels of testosterone produce lower numbers of antibodies in response to the flu vaccine and tend to suffer more when they have the flu. (ViaProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) The study looked at 90 men and women. After each was given the flu shot their blood was tested for antibodies to the flu. Men with higher levels … Read more »

Low Testosterone Linked to Possible Heart Problems in Men


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 9th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes TUESDAY, Sept. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Men with low testosterone may have a slightly increased risk of developing or dying from heart disease, according to a new review. Researchers analyzed studies that looked at testosterone levels and cardiovascular disease and were published between 1970 and 2013. Testosterone is a male sex hormone involved in sex drive, sperm production and bone health. Over time, low testosterone may contribute to an increase in body fat and a loss of muscle bulk and body hair. The review, which will be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, showed increasing evidence suggesting … Read more »

Abbott, Lilly push testosterone boosters as blockbuster drugs, despite safety questions


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 9th, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute Abbott, Lilly push testosterone boosters as blockbuster drugs, despite safety questions September 11, 2012 (AP) "Are you falling asleep after dinner?" "Do you have a decrease in libido?" "Have you noticed a recent deterioration in your ability to play sports?" "It could be Low-T." Welcome to the latest big marketing push by U.S. drug companies. In this case, it's a web page for Abbott Laboratories' Androgel, a billion-dollar selling testosterone gel used by millions of American men struggling with the symptoms of growing older that are associated with low testosterone, such as poor sex drive, weight gain and fatigue. Androgel … Read more »

Prenatal exposure to testosterone leads to verbal aggressive behavior


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 8th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Public release date: 29-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: John Paul Gutierrez jpgutierrez@icahdq.org International Communication Association Washington, DC (November 27, 2012) A new study in the Journal of Communication links verbal aggression to prenatal testosterone exposure. The lead researcher, at University at Buffalo The State University of New York, used the 2D:4D measure to predict verbal aggression. This study is the first to use this method to examine prenatal testosterone exposure as a determinant of a communication trait. Allison Z. Shaw, University at Buffalo The State University of New York, Michael R. Kotowski, University of Tennessee, and Franklin … Read more »

New drugs, new ways to target androgens in prostate cancer therapy


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 8th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes ScienceDaily (June 20, 2012) Prostate cancer cells require androgens including testosterone to grow. A recent review in the British Journal of Urology International describes new classes of drugs that target androgens in novel ways, providing alternatives to the traditional methods that frequently carry high side effects. "In many ways, therapies for prostate cancer have led the way in the fight against the disease," says E. David Crawford, MD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and review co-author. "The first effective oral therapy for any cancer was estrogen which was described in 1941. The first cancer biomarker that allowed … Read more »

BioSante Gains on Approval of Testosterone Gel: Chicago Mover


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 8th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes February 15, 2012, 5:09 PM EST By Molly Peterson (Updates with comment from analyst in fifth paragraph.) Feb. 15 (Bloomberg) -- BioSante Pharmaceuticals Inc. rose 27 percent after the testosterone replacement therapy it developed for men won U.S. regulatory approval. BioSante gained 21 cents to close at 97 cents in New York. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday that it approved the transdermal gel, Bio-T-Gel. The product will be marketed by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. of Petach Tikva, Israel, for men with low testosterone levels, a condition known as hypogonadism. BioSante estimates the market for male testosterone products … Read more »

Testosterone Makes Bosses Into Jerks, Says Paul Zak


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 8th, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute By Zinta Lundborg - 2012-06-14T04:01:00Z In their models, economists often invoke the idea of rational self-interest. After years of experiments, neuroeconomist Paul Zak says that concept is bupkes when it comes to real people. In the lab, Zak has participants play a game in which the only way to make money is to give some of what you have to a stranger. He found consistently high levels of trust and trustworthiness. Whats at the root of this virtuous circle? Oxytocin. Zaks experiments show that the influence in the bloodstream of oxytocin, long known for its role in sexual reproduction, especially … Read more »

Testosterone Drops in Dads Sharing Beds With Kids


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 8th, 2018

Reading Time: < 1 minute By Rita Rubin WebMD Health News Sept. 5, 2012 -- Dads who sleep in the same bed as their children may see a drop in their testosterone levels, a study shows. "This is the first study that's ever been done on this," says researcher Lee Gettler, PhD, an assistant research professor at Notre Dame. "No one before had ever asked the question as to whether co-sleeping affects men's physiology." The study is published in the journal PLoS One. It follows an earlier study that shows men's testosterone levels drop when they become fathers. Evidence from studies in animals suggests that … Read more »

Time to ask the doctor whether your testosterone ’s flagging


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 8th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Q: I AM a 61-year-old man in generally good health, but Ive been experiencing some worrying symptoms lately. I just dont seem to have the vigour I once had, I feel fatigued much of the time, as though my mind were in a fog, and my enthusiasm for work and recreation isnt what it once was. Could I be suffering from testosterone deficiency? If so, is testosterone replacement safe and effective at my age? What tests should I undergo? What are the risks of the therapy? A: You ask some important questions, ones I hear all the time from men … Read more »

People's Pharmacy: Testosterone not right for woman's low libido


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 8th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Q: At age 29, I had to have a hysterectomy that included my ovaries. After the fat-stored estrogen left my body (producing horrid hot flashes), I complained to my OB-GYN about my missing libido. He wrote me a prescription for an estrogen and testosterone mix. I began taking the pills, but I had strange changes in my body. I developed acne, facial hair, body hair and a low voice. I even began to walk differently. It helped some with sex drive, but I felt less and less feminine and more masculine. I hated it. I don't think testosterone is worth … Read more »

Testosterone linked to heart disease


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 7th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes (MENAFN - Khaleej Times) Scientists say they now have new evidence about why women live longer than men, from a study of historical data showing castrated Koreans far outlived their non-eunuch contemporaries. The study, published in the scientific journal "Current Biology," used detailed genealogical records of the Imperial nobility during Korea's Joseon dynasty, which spanned more than 500 years from the late 1300s to the early 1900s. According to the data, most men, including kings and royal family members, died in their late-40s or early-50s. But noble-class eunuchs - men who were castrated either by accident or because of social … Read more »

Men taking long-acting chronic pain meds 5 times likelier to have low testosterone levels


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 6th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington, Feb 1 (ANI): Researchers have found that low testosterone levels occur five times more often among men who take long-acting instead of short-acting opioids for chronic pain. While it has been known that opioids cause low testosterone in men, this study is the first to show a significant difference in risk between short-acting (immediate release) and long-acting opioids. The 81 men in the retrospective study were between 26 and 79 years old (median age 51) and were seen in the chronic-pain clinic at Kaiser Permanente's Santa Rosa Medical Center (Calif.) between January 2009 and June 2010. All of the … Read more »

Testosterone – WebMD – Better information. Better health.


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 6th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes A testosterone test checks the level of this male hormone (androgen) in the blood. Testosterone affects sexual features and development. In men, it is made in large amounts by the testicles . In both men and women, testosterone is made in small amounts by the adrenal glands , and in women, by the ovaries . The pituitary gland controls the level of testosterone in the body. When the testosterone level is low, the pituitary gland releases a hormone called luteinizing hormone (LH). This hormone tells the testicles to make more testosterone. Before puberty, the testosterone level in boys is normally … Read more »

Testosterone-fueled infantile males might be a product of Mom's behavior


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 6th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes ScienceDaily (May 10, 2012) By comparing the testosterone levels of five-month old pairs of twins, both identical and non-identical, University of Montreal researchers were able to establish that testosterone levels in infancy are not inherited genetically but rather determined by environmental factors. "Testosterone is a key hormone for the development of male reproductive organs, and it is also associated with behavioural traits, such as sexual behaviour and aggression," said lead author Dr. Richard E. Tremblay of the university's Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment. "Our study is the largest to be undertaken with newborns, and our results contrast with the … Read more »

Low testosterone levels may herald rheumatoid arthritis in men


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 6th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Apr. 3, 2013 Low testosterone levels may herald the subsequent development of rheumatoid arthritis in men, suggests research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Sex hormones are thought to play a part in the development of rheumatoid arthritis, and both men and women with the condition tend to have lower levels of testosterone in their blood than healthy people. But it is not clear whether this is a contributory factor or a consequence of the disease. The researchers based their findings on participants of the Swedish Malmo Preventive Medicine Program (MPMP), which began in 1974 and tracked … Read more »

Genetic markers for testosterone and estrogen level regulation identified


Posted by Dr. Michael White, Updated on January 6th, 2018

Reading Time: 2 minutes Public release date: 20-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Andrew Gould andrew.gould@pcmd.ac.uk 44-188-438-346 The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry A research study led by the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Exeter, and Boston University School of Medicine, in collaboration with a global consortium, has identified genetic markers that influence a protein involved in regulating oestrogen and testosterone levels in the bloodstream. The results, published online in PLoS Genetics, also reveal that some of the genetic markers for this protein are near genes related to liver function, metabolism and type 2 diabetes, demonstrating an important … Read more »