Testosterone is a key hormone in males that can control not only sexual development and performance but qualities as varied as hair growth, muscle development, cardiovascular health and many aspects of the personality. Low testosterone levels are associated with a number of health problems in men, but levels vary widely in different individuals. Women also have low levels of testosterone.
Definition
Testosterone is a hormone in the form of a natural anabolic steroid secreted by the testes and, to a smaller degree, the adrenal gland. It is the most important of the male sex hormones.
Men normally produce 40 to 60 times more testosterone than women.
Levels
There are no established normal levels of testosterone in men because levels vary widely by age and individuals. Doctors in the United States generally consider anything below 300 nanograms per deciliter to be low, but those levels could be normal in an older man or too low in a man in his 30s.
Testosterone levels peak in the late 20s, dropping an average of 1.5 percent a year after age 30. A man in his 80s usually has 20 to 50 percent as much of the hormone as a man in his late 20s.
Effects
Testosterone is still being heavily researched.
The natural steroid affects growth of muscle mass and strength as well as bone density and strength, and stimulation of linear growth and bone maturation. Effects also include maturation of the sex organs, particularly the penis and the formation of the scrotum in unborn children, and after birth--usually at puberty--a deepening of the voice, along with growth of a beard and axillary hair
Professor James Dabbs of Georgia State University has researched testosterone levels for a decade. He found that testosterone levels can influence a person's tendency toward criminal violence, delinquency, suicide, heroic altruism and and aggression. It also affects cognition, sexuality and sex roles, occupation, personality, emotions, competitiveness, childhood behavior, facial expressions, relationships and more.
Problems
A University of Washington study published in 2006 in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that lower levels of the hormone were associated with higher death rates in men over 40.
Low testosterone also reduces muscle mass and can cause weakness. It can also cause lower bone mass. A study by Dr. Michiaki Fukui published in Diabetes Care found a direct correlation between lower testosterone levels and a higher risk of heart disease. Lower levels are also associated with increased body fat as well as an increased risk of diabetes.
Go ahead-be a dumbass and run all the deca only cycles you want-but DONT tell other people to make the same mistake.