Better living through chemistry?

Whisky Pete Hegseth is bleating about testosterone testing and supplementation for US servicemen. He seems to believe that testosterone augmentation means a more effective military in the age of missiles and drones. But is testosterone an unalloyed good?

“This is what we're seeing in clinic,” she says. “Men will come to see us with zero sperm counts, and will often deny that they've been taking testosterone – but usually from their blood tests and their physique, it's very evident that they’re on testosterone.”

 

“If you give yourself testosterone […] you're telling your body, ‘I've actually got enough testosterone’,” Satchi explains. “So that signal going to your testicles to produce testosterone and sperm is switched off.”

“Like Clavicular, many of these patients will have sourced their testosterone from less-than-reputable suppliers: “they're getting it from their friends at the gym,” she explains, or online – and without the input of a legitimate endocrinologist or urologist, they’re not hearing about some of the very real consequences of overdosing on the hormone.

“Having testosterone will make your testicles teeny tiny,” points out Satchi. “Having testosterone will stop your sperm from developing […] and testosterone is aromatized into estradiol, so if men are taking copious amounts of testosterone, they’ll also have breast enlargement.”

“All of these things may happen to you,” she warns. “[People] manipulate their hormones without being completely aware of the risks.”

“Not all side effects are quite so ironic. There are also major cardiovascular risks, Satchi explains: since testosterone stimulates the body to create red blood cells, overuse of the hormone can raise your risk of heart attacks, blood clots, or stroke. It can make you bald; give you acne. In particularly dire circumstances, it can kill you.”

To be fair, while testosterone testing in servicemen over 30 is mandatory, testosterone injections are elective for now.


https://www.iflscience.com/t-maxxing-and-a-high-t-us-military-everywhere-you-look-men-are-being-sold-testosterone-and-its-very-frightening-84353?fbclid=IwY2xjawTvv11wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMVJCcXRkQjlMS3RnejhFNW1zcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEesw_bjXopQJdItfAnJhkO7P0uYXUOKa4Ahd1FD1Wsam3qUOzhCpK2Ud04KQE_aem_I-iPdAViy8_QfWEy5jrbRw

 

 

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