Until a few years ago, traditional thinking said testosterone replacement therapy put men at risk for prostate cancer. But recent studies debunk that myth: Men with low testosterone are now considered at risk for prostate cancer.

• A study published in the 2000 Journal of Urology reported that patients with prostate cancer and low testosterone had more extensive disease. All male subjects with a biopsy Gleason score of 8 or greater (advanced disease) had low serum free testosterone, potentially making low testosterone a marker for aggressive prostate disease.

• A 2004 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded there was no evidence supporting a causal link between testosterone replacement therapy and increased prostate cancer.
• A 2002 study in the Journal Prostate found patients with prostate cancer to have low androgen (testosterone) levels.
• A 1998 study revealed that prostate cancer patients who had higher pretreatment testosterone levels resulted in better survival.

Cost of waiting. Varied groups in this decade-academicians, traditional elitists, scientific community-say they've found little evidence of testosterone replacement therapy's effectiveness and long-term safety in healthy aging men.

Well, on one point, they're right. There hasn't been any long-term study done, which is why they tend to err on the side of caution. Yet, the risks I see in various research articles are purely theoretical.

Nonetheless-and this is a big one- we do know without a shadow of a doubt the insidious repercussions of testosterone decline. No one will argue that.

Men with testosterone levels in the top two quartiles have lower cardiovascular issues and lower mortality rates than those in the lowest quartiles. Still, it will take several long-term studies before the traditional medical community puts its stamp of approval on testosterone replacement therapy.

If you want to be really safe, wait another 20-30 years until all the data is in. Of course, by then it will be too late because you'll be a victim of the ravages of diminished hormones.

My decision. I saw any potential risk of testosterone therapy as minute compared to the huge risk resulting from extremely low testosterone levels. It was a no-brainer. Like many men, I was headed down a sure-fire path of early death or reduced quality of life.

Two years after winning the 1998 Body-for-LIFE contest, I was gaining body fat and losing strength, despite eating clean and exercising vigorously. Then I was introduced to age management medicine via the Cenegenics Medical Institute and realized diminished hormones might be part of my problem.

Diagnostics revealed my testosterone levels were in the low 100s, the bottom of the normal reference range. That did it. I became a Cenegenics patient and within two months began feeling the remarkable change: more strength, better muscle mass, improved sexual function, higher energy levels, improved biomarkers for disease, reduced cholesterol, good blood sugar control, clearer thinking and a zest for life.

There's no way I could accomplish all that I do nowadays at almost 71 without hormone optimization, eating healthy and exercising right. But that's me. You have to examine your health issues and goals. I'm here to help you in that journey, whatever direction you choose.