It’s easy enough to discuss testosterone deficiencies in a joking manner. In our culture, testosterone is shorthand for “manliness,” and is associated with a certain level of macho. Of course, most of us know that testosterone levels can have ramifications for virility, as well, so men still hoping to sire children may find that low testosterone is no laughing matter.
But truthfully, it’s no laughing matter for anyone. Science confirms that low testosterone comes with many long-term health implications—and some of them are fairly dire.
The Dangers of Low Testosterone
Just consider some of the data. Low testosterone is associated with heart disease, Metabolic Syndrome, depression, diabetes, cognitive impairment, and even osteoporosis. Clearly, it’s about much more than just “manliness” or fertility.
Even under the smaller umbrella of cardiovascular health, low testosterone has grim implications. In fact, it is a marker for several cardiovascular health concerns; one 2007 study found that low testosterone is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and/or cancer. Meanwhile, low testosterone is a marker for men who are fatter, have lower HDL, have higher triglycerides, and struggle with higher blood glucose.
Testosterone and Memory
Now here is one that may surprise you. Low testosterone can impact the male brain in ways that could jeopardize your career, your sense of personal wellbeing, and your interpersonal relationships. Specifically, a deficiency of testosterone can lead to memory impairment; on the flip side, men who take supplemental testosterone have been known to experience improvements in certain types of memory.
In particular, supplemental testosterone can improve working memory, which essentially allows you to manipulate pieces of information over a brief span of time, weighing data and drawing a conclusion of response.
Higher testosterone levels can also enhance verbal memory, which helps you recall words, as well as spatial memory, which helps you navigate a path or road.
Given these clear links to memory, it is perhaps unsurprising that low testosterone levels often indicate a heightened risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. Researchers have found that testosterone helps prevent brain cell death—reason enough to take its cognitive health powers more seriously.
Low Testosterone Symptoms—and the Lack Thereof
The list of potential symptoms associated with low testosterone goes on and on. Sleeplessness is still another. Men who have low testosterone struggle with poor sleep quality—and of course, sleep deprivation can resonate throughout your day-to-day life and health.
Something important to note, however, is that many men have low testosterone levels and frankly don’t even realize it. That’s because many cases of low testosterone, while dangerous, are also asymptomatic. Actually, somewhere around half of men, over age 50 but with low testosterone, have no discernible or outward effects of it.
That’s kind of a scary thing. Remember that low testosterone can still be wreaking havoc within the body and mind, leading to potential cardiovascular or cognitive problems the man knows nothing about. The implication is that all men over age 40 or so should get their testosterone checked regularly, even if they’re feeling fine.
Answers for Men with Low Testosterone
And really, that’s the takeaway here. Getting your testosterone checked is a small investment of your time that could turn up major issues with your health—issues that are often totally fixable.
If you and your doctor determine you should supplement with Testosterone then use the natural form, avoid synthetic and avoid the popular creams produced by big Pharma. Make sure you work with a physician trained in this area because it has to be managed with blood tests and it may require other supplements. We can discuss these complications in another article.
Testosterone supplements may represent the single best way to boost your physical and psychological health. We invite you to take our Men's Hormone Test today!