Long Term Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)

After more than 14 years of treating thousands of men with testosterone replacement therapy, I have known about the research demonstrating its effectiveness and overall safety. There is a lot of it and all readily available. We have known that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) helps to increase muscle and lower fat. It just works. I have seen it time and time again. And the longer a patient uses the testosterone, the better the results over time. There is nothing perfect about it and the patient needs to consider many other things about their health while on TRT. But again, it tends to work under the guidance of a trained and experienced professional. 

Here is another excellent study recently published in Nature demonstrating how TRT helps best men to lower body fat, lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The study was with 823 men over 11 years. This is a very good sample size and duration.

They concluded: “Our findings demonstrate that in subpopulations of men in different weight categories at baseline, long-term TTh (Testosterone Therapy) produced significant weight loss while untreated men in each subgroup (controls) had increased weight, WC (Waist Circumference), and BMI (Body Mass Index). We wish to point out that, in this study, the majority of hypogonadal men were obese. There were 77 deaths in the untreated groups and 23 deaths in the T-groups. No patient dropped out. Medication adherence to T was 100 per cent as all injections were administered in the doctor’s office and documented. We therefore suggest that adequate long-term TTh in hypogonadal overweight and obese men produces progressive and sustained, clinically meaningful weight loss and this Th may reduce mortality and incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events.“

Dr. Robinson’s take: 

• They used Testosterone Undeconate, a long acting testosterone injection. This means the levels were kept relatively stable over the course of being on the hormone. We always focus on keeping testosterone levels consistent over treatment duration time. This is one significant key to improvement.
• The duration of 11 years was very important. There have been studies a few years back that were all over the news media touting how testosterone increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and early death. The studies were with a relatively low amount of patients, and treatment was not accurately verified, and most importantly, the study duration was very short. 
• There are other studies like this one. Too many to list here. The evidence is out there and has been out there for years. 
• TRT is an effective way to help men (and women) to lose weight, improve diabetes and insulin resistance, gain muscle, and restore a more youthful health and vitality. Seek out a professional who really understands how to work with you comprehensively. We are at the ready for you here at The Hormone Zone.