3 Amazing Things Researchers Are Learning About The Effects Of Testosterone Hormone Replacement Therapy

No matter why you're receiving testosterone hormone replacement therapy, you should know about new research into how it affects the human body.

Here are some of the new findings: 

Replacement testosterone does not increase heart risk in healthy older men.

A recent study of 1,472 men aged 52 to 63 sought to prove whether or not there is a link between testosterone hormone replacement therapy and cardiovascular disease. This subject has been a topic of hot debate, as the FDA is demanding warning labels on testosterone due to the belief that its influence on the body may increase the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

Researchers studied healthy men with no prior history of heart disease to determine if there was a correlation. What they discovered instead was that the target population of their study actually saw a lowered risk of heart attack and stroke. They believe that testosterone hormone replacement therapy actually provides some cardiovascular protection in healthy older men.

High-dose testosterone therapy changes the brain.

Can people credit testosterone for making all the difference in the way humans master language skills? A recent investigation into this possibility discovered that, yes, it's quite possible that they can.

The brains of a target group of transgender patients were studied to see what effects might be revealed by their treatment with high-dose testosterone therapy. Patients' brains were scanned with MRI machines before their therapy was started and then 4 weeks into hormone replacement treatment. Other tests confirmed the amount of testosterone in their systems at each point.

They discovered that two key areas of the brain associated with language mastery actually diminished measurably after the administration of testosterone. Strangely enough, the white matter connecting the language areas was strengthened after testosterone exposure.

Insulin sensitivity increases after low-level testosterone treatments.

The link between diabetes and testosterone is the focus of a remarkable study of Type 2 diabetic men. The same researchers who found a link between low testosterone levels and diabetes decided to study the effects of hormone therapy on men with low testosterone and Type 2 diabetes.

They believe that testosterone's ability to reduce fatty tissue and increase skeletal muscle indicates it may also act as an anti-inflammatory agent and an insulin sensitizing agent. Study subjects seem to have proved them correct, since their reduced body fat, increased muscle mass, and diminished fasting glucose levels were the results of the hormone therapy.

Insulin sensitivity was increased in subjects after the therapy, as the tissues took up 32%  more glucose after insulin was administered than before the testosterone treatment began. More investigation needs to be done on the links between diabetes and testosterone, but this study shows the amazing ways hormones affect far more than our moods or our sexuality.