Testosterone therapy fails to improve artery health in older men

睾酮疗法可能会提高老年男性的激素水平, 但这并不能帮助他们的动脉更好地工作, 新的研究表明.

The study, published Monday in the 美国心脏协会 journal 高血压, showed men ages 50 to 70 with a larger-than-normal waist size and low-to-normal level of testosterone could boost the health and function of their arteries through a 12-week, 有监督的运动训练计划. Adding testosterone treatments boosted the men's hormone levels but did nothing to improve artery health, 研究发现.

“睾丸激素疗法可能有一些好处, 比如增加腿部的肌肉量,该研究的作者Daniel J. 绿色, a cardiovascular exercise physiology researcher at the University of Western Australia in Perth, 在线上电子游戏飞禽走兽发布会上说. “然而, 我们没有发现在动脉功能方面有任何好处, 什么是未来心血管风险的决定因素."

Research has shown a link between decreased levels of testosterone and an increased risk for heart disease. As men age, testosterone levels – and physical activity – naturally decline. This causes declines in artery health and function, which raises the risk for heart problems.

An increasing number of men are turning to testosterone replacement therapy, 近几十年来，哪个品牌的销售额增长了12倍. It often is used to treat low energy, reduced muscle mass and reduced vigor. 然而, previous studies have left unclear whether testosterone therapy provides heart health benefits.

“全球睾酮使用量的增长非常大, particularly among middle-aged and older men who might see it as a restorative hormone to increase energy and vitality,格林说.

在新的研究中, 78 men were randomly placed into four treatment groups: topical testosterone therapy combined with a 12-week training program that included aerobic and strength exercises two to three times per week; testosterone therapy alone; placebo alone; or placebo combined with the exercise training.

Both exercise training and testosterone therapy individually boosted hormone levels among the men in the study, with levels highest among the two groups getting testosterone therapy. But improvements in artery health occurred only in the exercise groups.

Researchers measured artery function using a method that increases blood flow inside an artery. This assesses the inner lining and whether it can help the artery increase in size, or dilate. They found artery function improved 28% in the group that received exercise training alone; it improved just 19% in the group that received a combination of exercise training and testosterone therapy.

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