Testosterone
Replacement Therapy does not Increase Heart Attack Risk
Recently,
the media began reporting some potentially bad news about
Testosterone Replacement. A recent study was published by the
non-profit journal, Plos One, claiming that in the initial three
months of therapy, that men were more likely to experience a heart
attack if they have experienced cardiovascular disease in the past.
Upon
closer inspection, however, the study appears to be faulty. This is
just one of a number of studies that have been designed questionably
but garnered big headlines across television, print, and the web.
Another study was released last year in the Journal of the American
Medical Association, which also comes to the conclusion that
Testosterone Injections and Creams increase the risk of heart attack.
That study also had numerous issues which led to faulty conclusions.
The
Importance of Estrogen and Red Blood Cell Counts when Considering
Testosterone
One of the
biggest issues of both of these studies was that neither study
measured Testosterone Levels before and after Testosterone Treatment.
Another significant problem with the methodologies of both of these
studies was that they neglected to perform important tests before
treatment was authorized that would have likely disqualified some
high risk patients from receiving the therapy, including Estrogen
Testing and the Complete Blood Count.
These two
tests are both incredibly important because both elevated estrogen
levels and red blood cell counts have been previously associated with
an increased risk of complication when administering Testosterone
Replacement Therapy. These three variables: Endogenous Testosterone
Production, Estrogen Production, and Red Blood Cell Count are all
tests which are absolutely necessary to determine both whether a
patient qualifies for therapy or needs to suspend treatment.
As a
result of these questionable studies, there are some that believe
that all patients should be informed that Testosterone Replacement
Therapy increases the risk of heart disease and heart attack simply
as a risk of treatment. This is one case where physicians should be
made more aware of the realities of Testosterone Hormone Replacement
Therapy. Our doctors mean well, but they are not always specialists
in every form of treatment. For this reason, it is important to
increase physicians' awareness regarding particular issues which can
increase the potential risks of Testosterone Replacement.
High
Red Blood Cell Counts Easy to Treat
It is of
utmost importance that medical professionals monitor all three of
these variables before and during Testosterone Replacement Therapy,
to minimize the health risk to the patient. If, after six months of
therapy, the patient has an elevated RBC count, the physician can
alter the Testosterone Dosage or simply require that the patient
donate blood in order to decrease his RBC count, which will
significantly reduce the risks of heart attack, stroke, and clotting.
Medications
Available to Control Estrogen Safely
Elevated
Estrogen also increases stroke and heart attack risk. If tests show
that the patient is suffering from elevated Estrogen levels, there
are highly effective medications which can suppress Estrogen Levels,
reducing them to normal. These studies did not perform due diligence
to protect their patients from the well-documented and easily
preventable risks associated with Testosterone Replacement, and they
got faulty data as a result.
Viagra
Used by Control Patients Vastly Skews Results
In
addition to these issues with the construction of the study, there
are other issues which greatly reduce the quality of the results. The
biggest problem with the study has not even been acknowledged by the
authors of the study: Some of the men in the study were taking PDE5
inhibitors, and this group was compared to other patients which were
not taking PDE5 medication.
Researchers
found that patients that take these medications, such as Viagra and
Cialis, were less likely to experience heart complications during
treatment. The authors included PDE5 inhibitors in an attempt to
ensure that all patients were able to be sexually active. They used
PDE5 drugs in order to control for the improved libido associated
with increased Testosterone.
What they
did not acknowledge was that PDE5 inhibitors not only affect sexual
function in males, they also impact cardiovascular health in a number
of positive ways. Two forms of PDE5 Inhibitor have actually been
FDA-approved for the treatment of hypertension, because these
medications all have the ability to reduce blood pressure by relaxing
the blood vessels.
The
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics recently
released a study which provides powerful evidence that PDE5
Inhibitors can be used as heart drugs for individuals suffering from
coronary artery disease. The study also suggests that these drugs can
be used in order to improve the health outcomes of patients suffering
from heart failure.
The
potential cardiovascular benefits of PDE5 Inhibitors make these drugs
a terrible option to control for the potential heart risks of
Testosterone Replacement Therapy, because men that take PDE5 drugs
will have healthier hearts on average than men that do not take them,
thus making Testosterone Replacement appear more dangerous than it
truly is in reality.
Body of
Research Suggests that Testosterone Replacement Therapy is Safe
Although
this Plos One study is getting a lot of media coverage, it
contradicts twenty years of research which shows that Testosterone
Patches, Injections, and Creams have the ability to improve heart
health by increasing muscle mass and reducing body fat while balancing
both blood sugar and cholesterol.
The
Journal of the American Heart Association recently released a
research survey which further reduces the credibility of the Plos One
article. In this review, over one hundred studies were analyzed,
looking for evidence regarding how Testosterone Replacement Therapy
impacts the cardiovascular health of patients.
The
researchers came to the conclusion that Testosterone Deficiency is
powerfully linked to a number of mortality risks, including increased
incidence of diabetes and obesity as well as elevated risk of heart
attack, stroke, and other dangerous cardiovascular conditions such as
atherosclerosis. Researchers also discovered that the more severe the
Testosterone Deficiency, the more dangerous that the symptoms
manifested themselves.
The
literature review offers near-incontrovertible evidence that
Testosterone Replacement improves heart health by relaxing the
coronary arteries and helping men with heart failure to engage in
physical exercise. Testosterone HRT has also been shown to reduce BMI
and control blood sugar in patients suffering from diabetes, which
also preserves heart health and reduces mortality risk.
Single
Studies Are Often Unreliable: No Evidence that Testosterone HRT
Endangers the Heart
Remember
this the next time you hear about a single study espousing the
potential dangers of Testosterone Replacement Therapy. The body of
research as a whole suggests otherwise, and it will take powerful
evidence to prove otherwise.
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