Testosterone use is linked to significant improvements in overall cognition, psychomotor speed and executive function in older adult men, according to a recent data analysis.
Researchers reviewed the results from 14 previous randomized control trials. They found “strong evidence” that testosterone supplementation improves decision-making, judgment and problem-solving ability in men.
“As we age our brains gradually shrink, leading to a decline in memory, problem-solving and other cognitive functions,” said Hamid Sohrabi, Ph.D., from Edith Cowan University, Australia. While the study’s effect sizes were small, the results suggest that supplementation may play a role in thwarting that decline, he and his colleagues theorized.
The study team is developing a new randomized control trial to test this theory.
“If testosterone supplementation, either alone or in combination with other treatments, can delay the onset of symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease by a few years, this could make a huge difference to the lives of those with the disease and their families,” concluded Ralph Martins, Ph.D.
Full findings were published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
