Women aren’t the only ones who’ve been sold (and pretty much bought, until recently, at least) the idea that a natural life passage, menopause, is a medical condition that requires hormone therapy medication — that is, if you want to avoid becoming a wizened, sexless, neurotic hag.

During the past decade, men have been receiving a similar sales pitch. They’re now told that they, too, have a middle-aged passage (andropause!) that requires hormonal supplements, mostly testosterone. Only by keeping their body’s stock of this hormone at a youthful level, claim the supplements' advocates, can men avoid “testosterone deficiency syndrome” and maintain their energy, muscle mass, memory and sex drive into old age.

The sales pitch seems to be working. As reported today in the Los Angeles Times, sales of testosterone prescriptions have jumped from 64,800 in 1999 to 3.3 million in 2008.

But is there any evidence to support the beneficial claims made for testosterone? And what are the known risks of taking supplements of this hormone?

Good evidence is lacking
As writer Tammy Worth points out in the Times article, men’s testosterone levels do fall by about 1 percent to 2 percent each year, starting at around age 30. And the decrease may accelerate after a man reaches 65.

“But,” writes Worth, “it is unclear whether the issues associated with aging in men — decreased sex drive, less energy, cognitive impairment, and reduced muscle mass — are due to a decrease in testosterone or to other changes that come with aging …. Long-term studies on effectiveness of the therapy are lacking, and the few small, shorter-term trials that exist have produced mixed results.”

A Mayo Clinic study, published in 2006, for example, found that men with low testosterone levels who took supplements of the hormone experienced no significant improvement in muscle strength, physical performance or quality of life.

Yet, as Worth notes, there are some serious risks associated with taking testosterone supplements:

HGH evidence also inconclusive
Worth also reports on the troubling trend of prescribing human growth hormone (HGH) off-label to prevent physical decline in elderly men.

“Again,” she writes, “research on the safety and benefits of HGH is mixed, and the National Institute on Aging says there is no conclusive evidence that the hormone can reduce the physical decline that comes with age.”

Studies have shown that men who received HGH injections are, however, more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome and diabetes. Other potential risks include heart failure and cancer.

In fact, research suggests that low HGH levels in old age may actually protect against cancer.

“We need more data on effectiveness and adverse effects,” Dr. Ronald Swerdloff, professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Worth. “An industry has developed … where special clinics or groups are promoting testosterone and HGH rather indiscriminately for people. … But nothing we do will prevent people from getting older.”