The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show
The Science of Optimizing Your Testosterone | Abraham Morgentaler, MD
Tue, 04 Mar 2025
In this episode, Dr. Abraham Morgentaler—an expert in urology and hormone health—helps unpack the biggest myths and misconceptions surrounding testosterone therapy for both men and women. He shares his pioneering research on testosterone replacement therapy, challenging outdated fears about its link to prostate cancer and highlighting the latest findings on how hormone therapy can impact overall health, libido, and longevity. The conversation explores the controversial history of testosterone in medicine, the common mismanagement of hormone deficiencies, and why free testosterone may be one of the most important markers for health.We cover:The truth behind the testosterone-prostate cancer debateHow testosterone deficiency is linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and dementiaThe stigma around testosterone therapy and why so many people remain untreatedThe effects of testosterone therapy on fertility, muscle mass, and mental well-beingThe role of testosterone in women's health and agingThe latest advancements in testosterone treatments and how they compareWhether you’re considering testosterone therapy, navigating hormone-related issues, or just interested in optimizing your health, this episode offers critical insights that could reshape your understanding of testosterone and its role in overall well-being.Who is Abraham Morgentaler? Dr. Abraham Morgentaler is a leading expert in men’s health and a pioneer in the treatment of testosterone deficiency. His research helped overturn the long-held belief that testosterone therapy increases prostate cancer risk, and he has published over 200 scientific articles on testosterone, prostate cancer, and male sexual health. A Harvard-trained urologist, he is currently the Blavatnik Faculty Fellow in Health and Longevity at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Morgentaler is also the founder of Men’s Health Boston and co-founder of the Androgen Society, and he continues to educate clinicians worldwide through his virtual fellowship and best-selling books on men's health.This episode is brought to you by: LMNT - Code DRLYON for free LMNT Sample Pack! - http://drinklmnt.com/drlyonOneSkin - Code DRLYON for Get 15% off! - https://www.oneskin.co/ Timeline - Code DRLYON for 10% OFF - https://timelinenutrition.com/DRLYONNeeded - Code DRLYON 20% off your first order - https://thisisneeded.comFind Dr. Morgentaler at: T4L Education: https://t4leducation.com/Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abraham-morgentaler-md-81628b6/ YouTube:
Chapter 1: Does testosterone really cause prostate cancer?
Does testosterone really cause prostate cancer? What's the relationship between testosterone and libido? And how does the modern stress of life impact your hormones and sexual health? Hi, I'm Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. These are just some of the questions we're tackling today with Dr. Abe Morgenthaler, a world-renowned urologist and pioneer in men's health.
Together, we'll explore the biggest myths, misconceptions about testosterone, the surprising truths about sexual health, and what every person needs to know to protect their health and their relationship. From how to spot early hormone imbalances to cutting edge advances in hormone therapy, this episode is packed with insights that could help you live longer.
So are we looking at testosterone and hormones all wrong? Let's jump in because these answers could completely change how you think about your health. I just wanted to jump on here with an exciting announcement. I am hosting the second ever Forever Strong Summit, April 26th, 27th in Houston, Texas, 2025. There's going to be two days, the VIP day on April 26th.
You will learn from former Navy SEALs, from former Secret Service, from individuals that you do not want to miss. Myself, my inner tribe will be there to support you to learn everything from muscle health to science to nutrition. You don't have to be an expert. You don't even have to have a background. All you have to have is a will to win and stay strong.
I will put a link in the show notes below. Please go to my website, drgabriellelein.com. We sold out last year and I would hate for you to miss this opportunity. So if you're waiting for a sign, if you're thinking you need to change something up and you need community, friends, we've got you covered. Dr. Abe Morgenthaler, welcome to the show.
Oh, it's great to be here with you. Thank you.
You are really, I don't even want to say the godfather of testosterone replacement therapy, but you are responsible for bringing testosterone replacement therapy to the modern world.
Thank you. You know, it's hard for me to accept something like that, but practically speaking, I think that that's right. And, you know, I started doing this at a time when everybody thought testosterone was going to absolutely give people prostate cancer, like pow, right away. Just a little whiff for a week or two, prostate cancer. That's the fear that we had. And I got interested in it.
And I'd love to tell you how I got started. But my work has really been about using testosterone and showing that it didn't really cause prostate cancer. I didn't know that before I started, but that's what happened. And as the barrier to testosterone dropped because people weren't so worried about prostate cancer, then all sorts of things opened up. And here we are 35 years later.
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Chapter 2: How did Dr. Morgentaler challenge the testosterone-prostate cancer myth?
New England Journal has really liked all the RCTs about testosterone. JAMA has published it. We have stuff in Lancet. All the top journals have data on this. And sort of the regular physician who wants to keep up with the literature, you know, they trust those journals. But it hasn't impacted what they do.
And so what we have is we have a medical condition, testosterone deficiency, used to be called hypogonadism, where people have too little of it, men or women. Men get most of the publicity around this, and it's better studied in men, but it's true for both. And do you know that testosterone deficiency either predicts the development of or is associated with
many of the most important medical conditions we deal with in healthcare. So obesity, diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, mortality, dementia, osteoporosis, these things are all associated with the deficient amount of testosterone in the body.
And beyond that, these men, let's focus on men for a moment, these men have symptoms that often make them, I say the testosterone deficiency is a reduced state of the human condition. There are data. I told you there was a golden period of testosterone research from the late 1930s to about 1940.
1940, this guy, Dr. Joseph Aub, AUB, writes an article in New England Journal of Medicine that says this is one of the most potent medications that we have in our armamentarium. And they described men who were basically, they called them broken men back then. Broken men, that was the term. There were these men who just, they lacked confidence. They were quiet. They were introverted.
And they got testosterone and they became better. Now, I suspect that we didn't have blood tests back then, not till the 1970s. I suspect that many of these men who underwent these trials had extremely low levels. And the lower your level, the more of a benefit you're going to see, right? And the more the low level is going to impact who you are and how you carry yourself.
But men, this makes a huge difference in how people live their lives. And so the fact that it's not yet accepted by what, you know, I'm a mainstream doctor, but I'm going to call this not accepted by mainstream medicine is our number one problem. And what gets compounded then is that because there's a tremendous need, people now know that testosterone deficiency exists.
They know somebody, they heard of somebody who got treated. They say, maybe I can get some too. If the And so some of the docs that are doing this are docs that the sort of, I'm an academic guy, you know, it's like science-based, but the academic docs see those groups of physicians and they say, I don't want to get involved with that. I don't think that well of those practices.
Do you think it came from sport? Do you think it, because maybe potentially it got demonized from sport and anabolic use? Yeah.
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