VOLUME 2007 chapter 9

High Testosterone Linked to Reduced Deaths in Men

Men with higher levels of testosterone are apt to have increased longevity. Kay-Tee Kaw, from the University of Cambridge School of Medicine (Cambridge, United Kingdom),and colleagues tracked more than 11,600 British men for a period of up to 10 years. The team found that men in the upper 25% of natural testosterone levels have a 41% lower risk of dying from heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular conditions, cancers and all other causes (compared to men with the lowest levels of testosterone). Comments Dr. Kaw: “Low testosterone seems to predict increased risk of total mortality in cardiovascular disease and cancer.”
[Khaw KT, Dowsett M, Folkerd E, Bingham S, Wareham N, Luben R, Welch A, Day N. “Endogenous Testosterone and Mortality Due to All Causes, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer in Men. European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer in Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk) Prospective Population Study.” Circulation. 2007 Nov 26; [Epub ahead of print].]

Dr. Klatz observes: “Anti-aging medical researchers have previously found that low testosterone levels put men at elevated risks for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke, as well as cancer. This large-scale, long-term study validates what we in anti-aging medicine have known for at least a decade already. It also suggests a potential therapeutic value for testosterone supplementation in aging men, where administered and supervised by a qualified physician.”

Walking Speed Correlates to Longevity

Older adults who can boost their walking speed over time live longer. Susan E. Hardy, of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (Pennsylvania, USA), and colleagues followed 439 adults, ages 65 and over, and found those who improved their walking speed over a one-year period were 18% less likely to die over the next eight years. Overall, the study found that walking speed during the first year of study was the only factor to predict the subjects’ long-term survival; other tests of physical health, and self-assessment surveys, did not.
[Hardy SE, Perera S, Roumani YF, Chandler JM, Studenski SA.” Improvement in usual gait speed predicts better survival in older adults.” J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007 Nov;55(11):1727-34. Epub 2007 Oct 3.]

Remarks Dr. Goldman: “Walking is an excellent physical activity for aging men and women. This study shows the positive longevity value of modest improvements in one’s walking speed. That is a goal which most active adults can readily strive to achieve and reach..”

Multivitamins and Multiminerals for Multiple Benefits

Genevieve Major, from Laval University (Quebec, Canada), and colleagues completed a survey of 267 men and 320 women ages 20 to 65, and found that the men who regularly took a multivitamin/multimineral supplement had lower body weight, fat mass, and body mass index. Similar findings were recorded for women; moreover, women who routinely took a multivitamin/multimineral supplement reported reduced hunger levels.
[Major GC, Doucet E, Jacqmain M, St-Onge M, Bouchard C, Tremblay A. “Multivitamin and dietary supplements, body weight and appetite: results from a cross-sectional and a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study.” Br J Nutr. 2007 Nov 1;1-11. [Epub ahead of print].]

Comments Dr. Klatz: Previously, Dr. Ranjit Chandra and colleagues from Memorial University (Newfoundland) found that a dietary supplement containing 18 vitamins, minerals, and trace elements helped healthy men and women age 65 and over to improve their short-term memory, problem-solving ability, abstract thinking, and attention span. The supplement also improved immunity, reducing the rate of infection-related illness by more than 50% (as compared to those who did not take it). Both this and the new Laval University study demonstrate that people who take a daily multivitamin, multimineral supplement enhance their ability to live independently and without major disability. This translates into sizeable savings on health care costs, due to reductions in expenditures otherwise spent treat disease and functional decline.”

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