Q: I am a 28-year-old male. I am worried I have too much body fat compared to muscle. Even if I work out at the gym and lift weights, I do not get much muscle built up and still look flabby. Someone has said that I may be low in testosterone, even though I can grow a beard without any problem. What do you think? Can you get this prescribed?
A: It is true that some men who have a rather rounded female appearance to their
bodies may be low in testosterone. There is often an excess of fat in the abdominal area, and muscles may have a thicker than usual
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covering of fat.
Some people may also have a problem with sexual functioning. Blood lipid levels may be raised, especially the LDLs and tri-glycerides, which are the bad guys. Fat can also be deposited in the liver, leading to a condition called, oddly enough, fatty liver.
A simple blood test will deter-mine whether you are short of the male hormone testosterone.
If you do have an abnormally low level, you can either get a prescription of the oral medication Andriol from your doctor, or he can give you weekly injections. I think the pills are more practical.
In Alberta, there is a triple prescription program in place to prevent abuse of this drug. One copy goes to the pharmacist and the other to the College of Physicians and Surgeons.
This is not because of addiction, but because it has been sold illegally as an aid to body building and to increase athletic performance. It can be dangerous if used improperly, sometimes causing high blood pressure and aggressive antisocial behavior.
British researchers have discovered that testosterone can help men with angina. Men suffering from this type of chest pain who were receiving the androgen supplement were able to exercise for a lot longer in a stress test than those not taking it.
Those men who had the lowest levels of testosterone before treatment benefited the most. The hormones are thought to work by causing a dilatation of the coronary blood vessels, which leads to increased blood flow to the heart muscle.
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