Do you struggle to achieve your New Year’s resolutions because you are too tired or feel that enjoying better sleep, more energy, and freedom from aches and pains is just impossible at your age? It’s not impossible, in fact, a number of landmark studies made headlines, finding that hormone replacement therapy for men and women offers a number of health benefits, such as reduced risk of disease and a higher quality of life overall.
If this is the year you want to feel your very best, enjoy more energy, better sleep, an improved sex drive, and a healthy weight, then you need to know what bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can do for you. Learn more about the research findings:
Low T Treatments are High Reward, Low Risk
In May 2015, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) endorsed testosterone therapy for treating low testosterone in men after a review by a research panel found that the therapy not only restored hormone balance, but also reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. The endorsement comes after a panel of researchers uncovered powerful evidence that any potential risks associated with testosterone therapy are significantly outweighed by the benefits.
Another researcher, Susan Davis, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, went on to highlight the benefits of testosterone therapy for women. She discussed the number of cases of women suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) and how testosterone therapy—over the span of a decade—has helped these women without adverse side effects. She even listed the added benefits of normal levels of testosterone in women, such as improved bone density and augmented muscle mass.
Hormone Therapy Effective for Some Forms of Depression
A 2002 study found that women suffering from depression often have low levels of estrogen and testosterone and may be successfully treated with combination hormone therapy. For men, the preliminary results of a study presented at the 2015 annual meeting of The Endocrine Society found that 50 percent of men with borderline levels of testosterone experienced depression. Testosterone therapy, along with lifestyle changes, reduced depressed feelings and other comorbidities (risks of disease) associated with low testosterone.
More recent research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, has shown that estrogen therapy may be the key to treating depression associated with menopause. In the study, researchers compared the effects of estrogen therapy on postmenopausal women, both with and without depression. Those with depression felt better when estrogen therapy was administered and resumed depression symptoms when therapy was discontinued. Those who did not suffer from depression remained stable—their moods were unaffected by estrogen therapy. These outcomes suggest that declines in estrogen levels play a strong role in depression during menopause and even in the years after menopause, if levels remain low.
Testosterone Therapy Reduces Cardiovascular Risks
The Veterans Affairs Database Study, a large, long-term study, published in September 2015, made headlines, finding that men with low testosterone—also dubbed “low T”—whose levels were restored to normal through testosterone replacement therapy, experienced a significant reduction in risk of heart attack and stroke. This data is groundbreaking because unlike previous research, the study spanned a significant time period and reviewed data of more than 83,000 men.
The study analyzed data collected on 83,010 male veterans with documented low total testosterone levels. The subjects were divided into three clinical groups and propensity matched, meaning comparisons were made between men with similar health profiles. Men in the first group, who were treated to the point that testosterone levels were restored to normal, were 24 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack and 36 percent less likely to suffer a stroke. The men in all groups were followed for 4.6 to 6.2 years. Those that did not receive treatment for low testosterone had a 56 percent higher all-cause mortality risk compared to the group who remedied low testosterone levels with testosterone therapy.
Early Estrogen Replacement Achieves Glowing Skin
Data published in August 2015 from the KEEPS trial, shows that estrogen supplementation can increase type 3 collagen by 50 percent when administered within a few years of menopause. Mounting evidence shows that starting estrogen therapy early in menopause is beneficial to a woman’s long-term health and beauty.
Forty-seven percent of New Year’s resolutions are related to self-improvement, including boosting health. Only 14 percent of people over the age of 50 achieve their New Year’s resolutions each year, compared to 39 percent of people in their 20s.
It’s time for the middle-aged population to change the trend, showing the world that middle-age isn’t the beginning of the end—these are the best years of your life. Stop living with aches and pains or thinking you’re “too old” to achieve new goals and enjoy every moment to the fullest. Achieve your New Year’s resolutions this year and every year forward by taking back control of your health and quality of life. Discover what bioidentical hormone replacement therapy can do for you.