Monthly Archives: June 2008

ScienceDaily (June 23, 2008) — In older men with low testosterone levels, testosterone replacement therapy improves their risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to two new studies. Low testosterone levels are linked to the metabolic syndrome–a cluster of metabolic risk factors that increase the chances of developing heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes–and other health problems, including loss of bone and muscle mass, depression, and decreased libido. Saad’s research showed that restoring testosterone to normal levels in hypogonadal, or testosterone-deficient, men led to major and progressive improvements in features of the metabolic syndrome. The first study showed that testosterone treatment significantly reduced waist circumference, total cholesterol, LDL ("bad") cholesterol, triglycerides, and body mass index (a measure of body fat). They found that the oldest men had similar improvements in metabolic risk factors to the youngest men. Men whose subnormal testosterone levels were not as low as the others had similar improvements in metabolic risk factors to men with the lowest levels, according to Saad. read more

[Tags]testosterone, men, levels, metabolic, , deficiency, weight loss news[/Tags]

Proving you’re never too old is Craig Ottersen, 55, who recently posted his fastest times in nearly 15 years as a masters swimmer. And, in Sacramento, a handful of masters-class athletes in swimming and running are logging better times now than 20 years ago. There’s a growing belief – and body of evidence – in sports medicine suggesting that perhaps it’s time to change the way we perceive “old” for athletes who are able to stay firm and formidable in middle age. The old paradigm of diminishing performance returns – that we lose 1 percent of our muscle mass every year after age 35, that our cells start losing the ability to process oxygen – might not hold anymore, what with advances in training techniques, sports medicine and motivation for aging athletes to keep it up. Hodding Carter, 45, a former NCAA champion swimmer turned writer turned swimmer again. Earlier this month, she won the Nike Women’s 5K race in Sacramento, besting close competitors a dozen years younger. read more

[Tags]150, athletes, events, swimmer, age, carter, weight loss news[/Tags]