What is the Reality Regarding ‘Low Testosterone’ Phenomenon?

Consumers are being bombarded ad nauseam about the impact of low testosterone in males, and the profound impact it is having on everything from their hairline, energy levels, size of their winky, and even sexual performance. According to some medical professionals, though, low testosterone is in fact fairly rare, and is not nearly the epidemic recent advertising campaigns portray it to be.

On any given day, you can hear countless commercials from equally countless advertisers claiming to have the fix-it-all cure that will turn every 64-year-old male into the man they used to be when they were 18.

Sexual prowess will return, their bench press will skyrocket, and they'll be able to ditch the sock they've been stuffing in their pants for the last 20 years..

According to Abraham Morgentaler, MD, and his article in Ask Men, low testosterone, or "Low T" as it has now been streamlined, can cause chronic fatigue, low athletic performance, and depression in males.

According to Ultimate Lifespan, the belief that age is the primary cause of "Low T" is a myth.

A study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice found that "Low T" is found in only 1/3 of men and women over the age of 45. Data collected by the study which examined 2,100 men and women found those individuals who were obese were 2.4 times more likely to have "Low T," and those who had high blood pressure were 1.8 times more likely to have "Low T."

Bradley Anawalt, MD, an endocrinologist at the University of Washington, states the concept that a man's level of testosterone diminishes drastically with age is something of a myth.

According to Anawalt,"There is a decline on average of 1% of testosterone per year starting at age 30." He adds, "It is not a seminal event and doesn't occur in all men. Some men who are very healthy and virile do maintain their testosterone levels for longer periods of time."

So, while the evidence suggests that "Low T" is not nearly the epidemic the advertisements suggest, does there still exists some validity to the ads and their claims for those who do experience "Low T?"

According to Anawalt, "It's easy to get testosterone off the internet or form people who have low standards for prescribing it." He adds, "Many men are started for questionable reasons, and their dose keeps getting ratcheted up."