It does not make sense to me to take hormones indiscriminately to stave off the natural effects of aging. Yet, many practitioners recommend them to their patients. It is best to look at IMPARTIAL, NEUTRAL EVIDENCE before venturing into this field. For example, sex hormones for women are often prescribed to not only deal with menopausal issues, but to improve brain function. This is prudent when a woman is having moderate to severe perimenopausal symptoms such as insomnia and hot flashes. However, hormones should not be given “forever,” as anti-aging doctors recommend. The risk of cancer and cognitive issues goes up steeply after age 60.
It is the same with men, especially when testosterone is prescribed when it is within normal levels. Indiscriminate use of testosterone has been associated with an increase risk of cardiovascular problems.
It is OK to age. Let’s do it with dignity and wisdom.
References
Postmenopausal women’s long-term use of hormone replacement therapy may increase Alzheimer’s risk
“On its website, NBC News (3/6) reports a new study suggests long-term “use of oral hormone therapy may be associated with a small increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease in postmenopausal women.” The study was published in BMJ. Researchers assessed nearly 85,000 postmenopausal women aged 70 to 80 who were “diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease between 1999 and 2013. Researchers “found an additional 9 to 18 per 10,000 women using hormone replacement could be diagnosed each year with Alzheimer’s beyond the number expected to develop the disease.” They also determined that the “association was highest for women who used hormones for 10 years or more and those who used an oral combination of estrogen-progestogen rather than estrogen alone.”
“Men with a history of heart disease had a 30 percent increase in mortality, heart attacks, and stroke after commencing testosterone therapy. Several systematic reviews of the medical literature regarding testosterone therapy have further backed up these findings, confirming that exogenous testosterone is strongly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events.
Perhaps not surprisingly, it has been found that conclusions regarding the relationship between testosterone and heart disease risk vary within the medical literature based on the source of funding for the research. A comprehensive systematic review found that studies funded by pharmaceutical companies with a large stake in testosterone sales typically concluded that testosterone therapy is entirely safe or poses only minimal risk, while studies not funded by the industry almost unanimously determined that testosterone increases the risk of cardiovascular events.”
