Men lose 2% of their testosterone every year after age 25. Testosterone is not just all about sex drive. Testosterone effects hand-eye coordination, mental attitude, muscle tone, healing and cardiac protection. When I see a man with a large stomach I think of low testosterone/high estrogen. As the testosterone goes down, especially in someone with low zinc, the estrogens go up. (Zinc is needed to block the conversion of testosterone to estrogen.) This leads to increased abdominal girth, gynecomastia and prostate problems.
A man in his 80's probably has more estrogen than his wife. But if it is low, men also gain weight because there is poor conversion of T4 to T3 which is the active form of thyroid. You can have T4 or be given T4 in the form of Synthroid but you won’t convert it to T3, if you are low in zinc and/or selenium or high in Cortisol, or on Beta blockers (a heart medication), which is fairly common.
“I have wives bring in 30 year old husbands and ask me to check them. I am surprised to see the number of men with problems. They can’t lose that stomach, don’t feel the same and are subject to being a ‘grumpy old man’.” –Dr. Lee
Treatment options for low testosterone
The Lee Clinic specializes in Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT), which brings testosterone and other your hormones back into balance.
Learn More about BHRT