It?s not a secret that testosterone, the male sex hormone, plays a key role in all things essentially male; It helps men to develop their uniquely male bone and muscle structure, it is an important factor in the production of sperm, and it?s absolutely vital for maintaining a healthy sex drive. But what if it was also the key to sustaining male vitality far beyond youth, and into old age?
It?s certainly the belief of Dr Jeffry Life, a Las Vegas doctor with a difference. At 72 years old, he is the face of Cenegenics, an age-management company whose aim is to make their patients ?look and feel years younger?. Plastered on billboards across Las Vegas, Dr Life is the model of health, with a muscular physique that most men in their 20?s would kill for. But it wasn?t always the case for Dr Life.
It wasn?t until he reached his 50?s that Life first knew something had to change. The middle-aged spread had set in with a vengeance, and he knew that he had a one-way ticket to heart disease and diabetes. So he took to the gym, and within a year had transformed his body so dramatically that he entered the Body for Life contest, and won!
However, although his new lifestyle was around to stay, as he got older he noticed that the hard work wasn?t paying off the way it used to- it was increasingly hard for him to lose weight, and new muscle growth was slow and minimal.
A simple blood test revealed that one key factor was now missing- a healthy level of testosterone. As men age, they experience changes in hormone levels in the same way that women do when they go through the menopause, and they begin to produce far less testosterone.
The Benefits
This midlife change is perhaps less noticeable for men than for women, but the hormonal shift is no less significant, and the results can be muscle loss, weight gain, and a cognitive decline. Testosterone production actually starts to slow at around the age of 30, and continues at a drop of about 1% a year into old age.
But when testosterone is added back in, these symptoms of old age can be reversed; Dr Life really believes it?s as simple as that. Now specialising in age-management in his own practice, he insists that men who supplement their testosterone levels are re-energised, and able to lose fat and gain muscle as well as a man substantially younger than them.
The Risks
However, whilst research can demonstrate the fascinating ability of testosterone to prolong a youthful body and mind (with studies showing it can actually slow the deterioration of the brain in the case of Alzheimer?s disease), it isn?t entirely without its risks: research also shows that testosterone can rapidly accelerate diseases like prostate cancer.
Scientists also argue that the hormone is not yet entirely understood, which could mean that negative side-effects of high levels of testosterone are simply not known. So, in the case of normal aging, doctors do not widely advise testosterone therapy at the current time.
But despite this, if testosterone therapy could mean a fitter, leaner body, and an active mind for longer, is it worth the risk? Dr Life would argue that for many men, it certainly is.
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Source: http://www.gnet.org/could-testosterone-be-the-key-to-lasting-youth/
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