Research
Hormonal
Testosterone supplementation increases lean body mass in older men but has inconsistent effects on muscle strength and carries significant risks like prostate cancer.
Testosterone therapy is not recommended for sarcopenia due to inconsistent strength benefits and serious risks like prostate cancer. It should not be used solely for muscle building in older men.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Some studies found an increase in lean body mass and hand grip strength but no effect on knee extension and flexion strength... The likelihood of acquiring a high risk prostate cancer in men >65 years doubled for every 0.1 unit increase in free testosterone.
Why this rating
Variable evidence from 29 RCTs; some show mass gain, others no strength gain, and clear risk of prostate issues.
Source
Optimal management of sarcopenia
Deepa Sumukadas · Clinical Interventions in Aging · 2010
DOI 10.2147/cia.s11473
narrative_reviewCited 302×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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