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Link Discovered Between Testosterone and Alzheimer's
New Studies Confirm Link Between Low Testosterone and Alzheimer's
Several studies have now produced evidence that there is a link between low
testosterone levels and Alzheimer's disease.
One report, conducted by the Well Men Centre (an Australian testosterone
replacement center) studied Australian men. The research was based on 100 men
between the ages of 29 and 80 who attended the center with low levels of
testosterone.
96% of the men experienced "loss of interest mentally and loss of motivation"
and 85% suffered memory loss, lapses in concentration and loss of mental
clarity.
The findings follow a recent conference in London which examined the
relationship between the male hormone and the brain, and the potential role of
testosterone in preventing dementia. At the London conference one of the
presenters was Dr. Ralph Martins of the Sir James McCusker Alzheimer's Disease
Research Unit at the University of Western Australia.
Dr. Martins' group led the world in establishing a protein called beta amyloid
as a major culprit in Alzheimer's disease. When beta amyloid deposits build up
in the brain they clog neural tissues, killing brain cells en masse. Early
studies had shown a "very strong association" between low testosterone and high
levels of beta amyloid, Dr Martins said.
Laboratory tests in the U.S. also indicated that testosterone blocked the toxic
effects of beta amyloid. "It appears to have a two-pronged effect though its
major function appears to be reducing the level of amyloid," he said.
Dr. Eva Hogerhorst from England's Oxford University also told the conference
that researchers from the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Aging had
found lower levels of testosterone in men with Alzheimer's. "Sex steroids such
as testosterone and estradiol have been found to potentially protect the brain
against Alzheimer's disease," she said.
In another study at the University of Texas-Houston Medical School, two
researchers induced a process called tau hyperphosphorylation in female rats. In
people, this chemical over-reaction can create so-called tau tangles - bundles
of tau protein. These bundles, along with plaques of beta amyloid protein, are a
key characteristic of the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers found that safe doses of testosterone prevented tau
hyperphosphrylation in the rats by blocking the action of an enzyme involved in
the process. Oestrogen in combination with testosterone - but not oestrogen
alone - had the same effect.
The American Neurological Association has also reported that when testosterone
levels go down, there is a dramatic increase in levels the protein "amyloid,"
the prime suspect in the death of nerve cells in Alzheimer's disease.
The study behind the report said "We believe that this phenomenon may explain
why Alzheimer's disease occurs in late life. People with a genetic
predisposition to Alzheimer's may have borderline amyloid levels until menopause
or the male equivalent, andropause, reduces gonadal hormone secretion. Brain
amyloid levels may then rise enough to cause amyloid accumulation to begin,"
said author Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., of New York University. This study mirrored
the findings of the Australian study.
Although it has not been proven, a wealth of evidence suggests that the
accumulation of amyloid into clumps called "senile plaques" is toxic to nerve
cells. On autopsy of Alzheimer's patients, doctors find especially high numbers
of senile plaques in brain areas that underlie memory and reasoning, brain
functions that deteriorate dramatically in the disease.
This research explains why boosting testosterone levels may help prevent
Alzheimer's.
WARNING: Although this product has no known adverse side effects,
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