Depression In Older Men Strongly Correlates With Testosterone Deficiency

http://www.seductionlabs.org/2008/03/05/depression -in-older-men-linked-to-low-testosterone/

MARCH 5TH, 2008
Depression in older men linked to low testosterone
Elderly men with lower levels of free testosterone in their blood appear more likely to suffer depression than those with higher amounts of the sex hormone, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

Osvaldo P. Almeida, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., of the University of Western Australia, Perth, and colleagues studied 3,987 male participants aged between 71 and 89 years old, between 2001 and 2004. The men were asked to report information about demographics and health history. They then underwent testing for depression and cognitive (thinking, learning and memory) difficulties.

Information about physical health conditions was also obtained from a short survey, and an Australian health database. The researchers also collected blood samples from the participants, and measured levels of total testosterone and free testosterone, which is not bound to proteins.

Of the almost 4,000 participants, 203 or 5.1 percent, met criteria for depression; these men had significantly lower total and free testosterone levels then men who were not depressed. After controlling for other factors — such as education level, body mass index and cognitive scores — men in the lowest quintile (20 percent) of free testosterone concentration had three times the odds of having depression, compared to men in the highest quintile.

The authors note:

The mechanism by which low hormone levels might affect depression risk has not been identified, but might involve changes in the levels of neurotransmitters or hormones in the brain.

Professor Almeida commented:

More research is needed to prove whether low testosterone causes depression or whether it’s only associated with it

Depression affects between 2 percent and 5 percent of the population at any given time, according to background information, and women are more likely to be depressed than men until they reach age 65, when sex differences almost disappear. Previously, several studies have suggested that sex hormones might be responsible for this phenomenon.

Men’s testosterone levels are usually about 300 to 1,000 nanograms per decilitre of blood, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

In a separate study, researchers in Australia found that a quarter of men aged over 60 had testosterone levels of 294 nanograms or less, per decilitre of blood.

Conceptualclarity : I think testosterone deficiency is also a likely source of depression for younger males, and probably for some females. You should know that in recent years the reputation of testosterone has risen dramatically in medical circles. In the past testosterone was viewed negatively and blamed for early male deaths. I believe this negative view was related to feminist misandry in Western culture and the severe negative effects of artificial anabolic steroids. Now it is understood that steroids' harm has a lot to do with shutting down the body's own testosterone production. One study in the 1990s tried to link testosterone with anger and found absence of a link. In fact testosterone is known to be a mood-elevating substance; it is hypothesized that the reason women who engage in condom-less intercourse have significantly less depression is because of the testosterone they absorb from *****. A study of violent criminals in prison found they had low testosterone levels. Testosterone works to maintain lean waistlines, cardiovascular health, and optimal brain functioning in males. It is now recognized that onset of testosterone deficiency in middle or advanced age puts males at greater risk of heart problems, depression, irritability, weight gain, memory loss, and premature death. As a result there is greatly increased interest among doctors in raising men's testosterone levels where needed.

A doctor is very useful for getting your testosterone levels tested. However, he may tell you that you are in the "normal" range, based on age-adjusted levels when in fact you have testosterone levels that would be quite low for a man in his prime. Just because it is "normal" for a senior male to have testosterone deficiency does not mean it is a good thing. The Life Extension Foundation and other reputable medical authorities believe in boosting believe in boosting middle-aged and older males' testosterone levels to those typical of a young man.

If a doctor is amenable to raising your testosterone levels, he will probably want to put you on prescription testosterone. This is an expensive option, and perhaps not the safest. Precursors or testosterone-boosting herbs leave it to the mechanisms of the body to decide how much testosterone to have in circulation, an approach I prefer.

One option is DHEA supplementation, usually by pills, although sublingual lozenges and creams are available and probably provide some superior assimilation. DHEA is a hormone that is the precursor to testosterone, and it is available inexpensively without prescription. Although I do not have low libido, at the suggestion of a Life Extension Foundation adviser and with the blessing of my doctor I began supplementation with 50 mg daily of DHEA pills to correct undesirably low testosterone levels. I believe I have some improvement in my sleep and memory. DHEA has some documented health benefits of its own in addition to its role in increasing testosterone, so that as well as cost argues in favor of it as an option.

Supplementation with well-known testosterone-boosting herbs is another option. With herbs it is important that one choose a company that is well-regarded. Swanson and Vitacost have high quality supplement lines of their own, and I would be inclined to trust the quality of the many other companies whose products they choose to sell. The ancient tradition of herbal medicine is not quackery. Abundant modern scientific research has shown that many herbs, including sex herbs, are indeed quite effective for the purposes they have been used for down through the centuries. Among the herbs known to boost libido and/or testosterone are muira puama, maca, horny goat weed/epimedium, ginseng, catuaba, tribulus terrestris, tongkat ali/eurycoma longifolia/”longjack”, avena sativa/oat straw, and the Testofen form of fenugreek. Beyond herbs, there is a patented combination of zinc, magnesium, aspartic acid, and Vitamin B6 known as ZMA is also renowned for testosterone boosting. Some likely good quality multi-ingredient testosterone and male libido boosting products include Super Mira Forte by Life Extension Foundation, Potency Essentials For Men by Dr. Julian Whitaker, Horny Goat Weed Complex by Swanson, and Tribulus Ultra by Fitness Labs.

Herbal libido products could have an advantage over the first two options in that they may boost libido in ways additional to testosterone boosting. The best option might be taking ZMA or a small dose of DHEA and a multi-herbal libido formula daily.
It must be mentioned that there are potential problems with raising testosterone. One is that too much of the testosterone will convert to estrogens, leading to prostate enlargement and to excess fat on the belly and on the pectoral region. The herbal extract chrysin is taken for estrogen-blocking by testosterone-boosting individuals including myself. Swanson has a chrysin product at a good price. The other problem is excess conversion of testosterone to DHT, which leads to hair loss and prostate enlargement. Some pretty nasty drugs are used to block DHT, and I think they tend to defeat the libido-boosting purpose. I recommend natural products such as beta sitosterol, saw palmetto, nettle root, and lignans found in plant sources such as flaxseed. Of course, excess estrogen and DHT are already huge health problems for middle-aged men and some young men who aren't doing anything to boost their testosterone. DHT is believed to be the main reason men suffer hair loss. Life Extension's Super Mira Forte formula has the advantage of combining estrogen- and DHT-blocking ingredients with its testosterone-boosting ingredients.

Let me say this : I am not a medical professional, just an individual who is motivated to learn about health matters for his own sake and the sake of those he cares about. Do not treat my words as your final authority, but research matters for yourself and communicate with the best multiple qualified individuals you can find. Two places you can read about supplements are at http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/healthnotes/assets/ and
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/ME2/Default.asp. I also recommend you familiarize yourself with the website lef.org. Life Extension Foundation is a really top-flight outfit. I have dealt with them much and I attest they are not simply out to make money; they have health as their mission. You can read up on their website by clicking on Health concerns and then scrolling down to Male Reproductive Health; also do a search on male libido as well as ED and testosterone. Get a membership and you can talk to their trained people on 1-800 any day; usually they're MDs.