NYT Article on TRT Clinical Study for Men 65+

Pharma / TRT Testosterone Replacement
1

NYT has an article on the first randomized clinical trial for TRT with men 65 and older, as reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. It’s a study done with topical gel (AndroGel) and no co-therapies, and addresses only normal age-related decline in T-levels.

The lukewarm NYT spin is that benefits to sexual function and physical stamina are “modest” at best. The article strikes a cautionary and dismissive tone overall, with one quoted authority calling for a “more conservative approach” to TRT. No mention of best practices or alternatives like injection vs gel, AI to keep estradiol at bay. I’ll be interested to hear what our resident gurus think of this study.

2

These men had a lot of health problems and they were checking to see how well they could even walk.

The point of TRT is to intervene when needed to maintain health and not wait until health is degraded. You cannot undo damage.

The BMI of these men was insane.

All they proved was that these older men did not benefit much from a low dose of androgel.

Some had diabetes and may have had associated nerve and organ damage.

Some of these men would have had untreated low thyroid function and we know how that can cap benefits.

3

The original article was published by The New England Journal of Medicine.

There were more cardiac problems in the placebo group, but more affected by prostate cancer in the TRT group. But the researchers conclude that numbers were too small to draw any conclusions from, and they’re calling for a larger, longer term trial to investigate this further.

As for prostate cancer risk, take a look at this article. There’s a theory that testosterone isn’t a contributory factor once it goes over a certain level.