Written by justis berg
07 March 2011
 

A Toast To Testosterone Boosters

 

Resveratrol— Good For Gonads And T Levels

Scientists studied the effects of trans-resveratrol on male reproductive functions, penile erection and in-vivo sperm counts and quality. The relaxation effects of resveratrol on isolated New Zealand white rabbit corpus cavernosum (special penile tissue) were measured. Also looked at were reproductive organ weights, blood testosterone levels, testicular histopathology, sperm counts, etc. Repeated treatment with resveratrol (50mg/kg) did not cause an increase in bodyweight, reproductive organ weight or testicular microscopic findings; however, resveratrol did elicit an increase in blood testosterone concentration, testicular sperm counts and epididymal sperm motility by 51.6 percent, 15.8 percent and 23.3 percent. Damn. That’s pretty interesting. One of the compounds found in red wine causing a rise in T levels and helping sperm count?

 

Androgens— Health And Selective Anabolism

The sex hormone testosterone is becoming more and more known for the many good things it does. In fact, we know that the typical male experiences a decline in serum testosterone levels. In a study of 237 healthy men between the ages of 60 and 80, participants were randomly assigned to receive 80mg of testosterone undecenoate or a matching placebo twice daily for six months. Now mind you that isn’t a whopping dose. But then again, it certainly isn’t going to cause harm. What did they discover in this investigation? During the study, lean body mass increased and fat mass decreased in the testosterone group compared with the placebo group, but these factors were not accompanied by an increase of functional mobility or muscle strength. This leads to one lesson. You still need to exercise in order to maintain normal function. Insulin sensitivity improved, but high-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased; by the end of the study, 47.8 percent in the testosterone group vs. 35.5 percent in the placebo group had the Metabolic Syndrome. Quality-of-life measures were no different except for one hormone-related quality-of-life measure that improved. No negative effects on prostate safety were detected. Testosterone supplementation during six months to older men with a low/normal testosterone concentration did not affect functional status or cognition, but increased lean body mass and had mixed metabolic effects.2 

So as with any drug, this study points to the fact that the way individuals respond to androgens isn’t identical. It should be noted that many effects are good (in this study), but the fact that HDL dropped in both the placebo and testosterone group points to the general poor health of this group. Interestingly, different androgens have different effects. In fact, one of the most frequently misused steroid precursors (prohormones) is 19-norandrostenedione (4-estrene-3,17-dione, NOR), which is, after oral administration, readily metabolized to nortestosterone, also known as nandrolone (Durabolin). Data indicates that receptor-binding tests demonstrate that NOR binds with high selectivity to the AR or the androgen receptor. However, scientists conclude that NOR is highly selective for stimulating the growth of the skeletal muscle, but has only weak androgenic properties. This observation may have relevance with respect to therapeutic aspects.3 Nevertheless, I’d say, get these folks out and make ‘em exercise. That, my friends, is the best medicine.  

GH And T— Anabolic Duo

In a six-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 21 healthy men aged 65-75, subjects received growth hormone (GH) or testosterone (T). They discovered that serum IGF-1 levels increased significantly with GH and GH plus T, compared with placebo. Mid-thigh muscle mass and maximal oxygen capacity increased with GH plus T only. Thus, six-month treatment with low-dose GH alone or with T in healthy, elderly men produces comparable increments in whole-body protein turnover and protein synthesis.4 And in a very long-term study, 60 healthy but symptomatic, nonobese men were randomized to transdermal testosterone patches or placebo for 52 weeks. Relative to placebo, total-body FFM (fat-free mass) and skeletal muscle increased and thigh skeletal muscle loss was prevented with testosterone therapy and visceral fat accumulation decreased. There was a trend to increasing total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol with placebo. So, taking T lessens visceral fat and puts on muscle mass.5

 

New SARM

SARMs are the wave of the future. These nonsteroidal tissue-selective androgen receptor modulators give you all the benefits of androgens while minimizing the side effects. Using a functional cell-based assay, a new SARM— AC-262536— was identified as a potent and selective AR or androgen receptor ligand. A two-week chronic study in castrated male rats indicated that AC-262536 has a great anabolic effect, especially in stimulating the growth of the levator ani muscle and in suppressing elevated LH levels. In sharp contrast to testosterone, AC-262536 has weak androgenic effects, as measured by prostate and seminal vesicle weights. And that’s a good thing. Who needs a prostate the size of a golf ball? So keep an eye out for AC-262536, a novel class of selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) with beneficial anabolic effects.6

References:

1.            Shin S, Jeon JH, Park D, et al. trans-Resveratrol relaxes the corpus cavernosum ex vivo and enhances testosterone levels and sperm quality in vivo. Arch Pharm Res, Jan 2008;31(1):83-87.

2.            Emmelot-Vonk MH, Verhaar HJ, Nakhai Pour HR, et al. Effect of testosterone supplementation on functional mobility, cognition, and other parameters in older men: a randomized controlled trial. Jama, Jan 2 2008;299(1):39-52.

3.            Diel P, Friedel A, Geyer H, et al. The prohormone 19-norandrostenedione displays selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) like properties after subcutaneous administration. Toxicol Lett, Apr 1 2008;177(3):198-204.

4.            Giannoulis MG, Jackson N, Shojaee-Moradie F, et al. The effects of growth hormone and/or testosterone on whole body protein kinetics and skeletal muscle gene expression in healthy elderly men: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, Aug 2008;93(8):3066-3074.

5.            Allan CA, Strauss BJ, Burger HG, Forbes EA, McLachlan RI. Testosterone therapy prevents gain in visceral adipose tissue and loss of skeletal muscle in nonobese aging men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, Jan 2008;93(1):139-146.

6.            Piu F, Gardell LR, Son T, et al. Pharmacological characterization of AC-262536, a novel selective androgen receptor modulator. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, Mar 2008;109(1-2):129-137.