What is the Low T Syndrome? Is Testosterone Supplementation Safe?

It is possible for athletes to over-train and cause a drop on levels of testosterone. Endocrinologist Dr. Dolores Shoback looks at low T and explores testosterone supplementation. Recorded on 03/07/2018. [5/2018] [Show ID: 33444]

More from: Medicine of Cycling -- Mini Medical School for the Public Presented by UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine

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0:00 Introduction
0:39 What is testosterone?
4:04 What does testosterone do in the body?
4:59 Testosterone: Target Organs
6:38 What is "low T" syndrome?
15:57 Hypogonadism - the real disorder
17:58 What do the lab tests mean?
18:29 Testosterone replacement therapy
20:58 Benefits Seen with Testosterone
21:43 Testosterone in Older Men (TOM) Trial
22:48 Effects of Testosterone on Maximal Voluntary Strength in Older Men: TOM Trial
23:44 Cardiovascular and Skin Events: TOM Trial
29:00 'T Trials' - Bone Mass & Strength
30:52 Treating Older Men with Low T

[jeffwalker]

Low T levels haven’t doubled but the awareness of men has. There are literally millions of men that have not been tested but have all the symptoms of low T

[johnslugger]

*My "T" level was only 7, less than a women! A year after taking TRT by my Dr. informed me that blood sugar dropped 30 points so I am no longer PRE-DIABETIC. I lost 56 lbs. without dieting and have improved sleep and when my Dr. added an Estrogen blocker (Anastozole) my prostate shank 60% in 18 months. My BP dropped too. The Dr. keeps my "T" at around 300 to 400, right in the middle. Keep in mind the horror stories about "T" come from weight lifters who take their free "T" levels over 1200 or more! You should never be afraid of mild TRT treatment. NOTE: I am 78 years old so it's never to late to start especially if you have prostrate problems. You will here my lies about "T" and one is that HIGH LEVELS WILL ENLARGE YOUR PROSTRATE, BULL!!! Think abotu that for a moment. Men have their HIGHEST "T" levels between the ages of 18 and 34 and none of these man have any enlarged prostrate problems! Did you at that age??? So we can safley say HRT and higher "T" levels does not cause an Enlarged Prostate. Again 10mg of "T" injected once a week in my outer thigh plus 15mg of Anastozole 4 times a week is the "SILVER BULLET" for all sorts of aging problems men typically get!!! The list of problems this solves is LONG included bone loss and stamina. One side effect is that "T" brings Red blood cell count up BUT not past the levels you had as a vigorous 18 year old!!!*

[StanHemphill]

If a “normal” (and by the way you seem to not even know what normal is) level of testosterone in your blood system can give you a heart attack, then why didn’t I have a heart attack in my 20’s? The laughing and snickering during the presentation says it all. Low T and a desire to try and maintain your vitality as long as you can is a joke to the people in that room. Fill up that room with men who have ED, low libido, low energy, short term memory loss, loss of muscle mass, BPH, lower back pain, ..., and see how many laughs you get.

[Jon-kghm]

Nice.. I have the total testosterone level of an 85-100 year old man. I'm 27

[JamesBond-tdli]

Follow a 74 year old man for 5 years and see if he has a heart attack ? And, then blame it on TRT ?

[notabotiswear]

I’ve actually looked at the second test she referenced and it’s funny how she breezes over the cardiac events saying it was too small, but if you look at the trials they actually stated there was no significant cardiac events..

[hamiltonski]

In Australia I get Reandron glute injections every 10 weeks —- at 70 this has been great for me over the last 4 years —- I have Hypogonadism and these injections have been approved by an endocrinologist— I feel fantastic !

[ElectronicsGuitar]

I just turned 66 and had blood drawn for my annual physical. Total testosterone is 762 ng/dL and free test is 9.55 pg/mL (i.e. 9.55 ng/dL). Never had HRT or TRT, but I lift weights 4x per week and bicycle (mt bike and road bike) a fair amount in the summer. Maybe a glass of wine or saki with dinner twice a month. Never smoked. No special diet or anything. Maybe I’m just lucky but I think the hard workouts really are the key.

[redefv]

So in 1985 men 22 to 35 had an average total testosterone of 1200. In the year 2000 it dropped to 675 (when the thumbnail chart was made I assume). Then in 2020 that number fell to 455. This does not worry anyone? I mention it to every doctor I meet and they say they know this but don't know why it is occurring. Why are we not looking into it?

From age 35 to death men lose roughly 1% of their total testosterone each year. There are thousands of studies on it. Take 1200 and subtract 1% compounded over 10 or 20 years.

My endocrinologist said the prescriptions are garbage. He is a male in his mid 40s. He said go to a mens clinic and get injections coupled with monthly blood tests. Now my number is monitored and regulated.

At age 42 I had a 258T. With TRT once weekly shots my testosterone went up to 470 and I had morning wood everyday. In month two my weight went from 230 pounds to 205 pounds and my testosterone went to 700T. In month three I went to 1132T and started gaining muscle rapidly. Worth it.

[Snarge]

I was doing some reviewing of Testosterone, namely low levels as there have been reports of T dropping in men over the last 40 years or so. This video then came up in my YT feed. Keep in mind there are a number of videos out there on how to boost one's levels without TRT injections. I'm 63 and want to maintain if not improve my levels, and have a blood test scheduled during my annual physical in January.
Anyway, here's some notes I took on increasing T levels naturally. Honestly, much of it is about living healthy.
Be proactive at reducing one's stress (cortisol inhibits testosterone).
Get a full nights sleep! Scientists are learning just how critical this is to good overall health.
Eat healthy fats and eschew the unhealthy ones.
Intense Exercise: Never skip leg day. Squats, Lunges, and Dead Lifts. Perform high-intensity interval training. Lift heavy weights.
Get down to low body fat levels.
Stop storing and/or reheating foods in plastic containers.
Hops used in beer are estrogenic. Rats! I like a beer once in a while.
Eat those dark green leafy vegetables.
Eat beef, pork, salmon, tuna, chicken and eggs. (Yeah vegans, you can suck it.)
I've picked up that Vitamin D is quite important, as well as Zink.
And of course, drop sugar intake (I have to work on that one too.)
Anyway, those are the notes I've taken.
I work out pretty hard but there are some tweaks I can do to follow these suggestions.

[nabihs]

"The disease hasn't doubled in this period of time" is such an odd statement to say. Testosterone has been declining for decades now. No it didn't happen in 4 years, but that doesn't mean it's not declining. Not saying that all the clinics and prescriptions are exactly what they should be, but playing this down is a little funny coming from a professional.
The reason why people are even looking at this is because of the failure of medical institutions to provide real solutions that makes people look at literally anything that might help because all their doctors do is looking at a range that makes no sense, check some marks and call it a day.

[billclinton]

It is immensely disappointing to hear a supposed professional mock this phenomenon. Let me be 100% clear here. When the amount of men on TRT doubles in only 4 years, which Dr. Shoback, presented immediately after mocking the Low T clinics, you have a VERY serious problem. Does she snicker behind her patients' backs when they complain to her as their endocrinologist of low sex drive, ED, etc? Apparently some people never grow up.

[Shraken]

Went to my doctor, for years they wouldn't do a testosterone test, eventually forced the issue at 42, came back at 350 total. Didn't bother with free T, or anything actually useful and said its fine, be less fat.
Went to a TRT clinic and it was 290, free T of 4.8. Been taking some supplements to get it slightly out of the gutter and it has done a lot for my depression and other things but I suspect its still very low.

On the fence about starting TRT at 42 and having to pin for the rest of my life :/

[davelarrivee]

I was very impressed. I appreciate actual information from a knowledgeable professional.

[DoctorPrepperMD]

Why is testosterone and free T testing (as well as fasting insulin) not part of basic primary care labs in men over the age of 40?

[coreycox]

I wish she would speak more about supplementation for women. My doctor has me on a low dose of testosterone to help build muscle to support my fitness goals and the only thing she told me is that I didn't need to worry unless I started to grow a mustache.

[garysimone]

Depression is a huge huge symptom Pls pls empathize that

[jwwilliams]

Dosage must be taken into consideration or the study is nearly useless.. Out of 800 men maybe 200 of them accidentally got an accurate dose for there specific body requirements.

[nystagmus]

Most honest lecture on low testosterone i have listened to

[iananderson]

I am 26. I just had my blood work done yesterday and my total T levels were 841, how does that measure ?