Salute
di Andrea Tognelli, Farmacista - Firenze
Nell’uomo i livelli di testosterone diminuiscono con l’avanzare degli anni?
La rivista Maturitas ad aprile 2026 chiarisceche i livelli di testosterone dipendono principalmente dallo stato di salute piuttosto che dall'età dell’uomo (1).
L’abbassamento dei livelli sierici di testosterone risulta infatti particolarmente frequente in presenza di sovrappeso / obesità, sindrome metabolica e diabete di tipo 2, indipendentemente dall’età anagrafica (1).
Gli uomini obesi, ad esempio, hanno livelli di testosterone inferiori di circa i 30% rispetto ai normopeso (1-5, 19, 20).
E’ quanto emerge da un’ampia ricerca svolta su oltre 200.000 uomini (età 40-70 anni), e da altri studi che hanno individuato il collegamento bidirezionale tra il declino delle concentrazioni sieriche di testosterone e le malattie metaboliche, ed altre condizioni causa d’infiammazione cronica e di precoce invecchiamento biologico(1-5).
Quali possono essere i segnali d’allarme?
In primo luogo la presenza di sintomi clinicamente rilevanti, es.: calo della libido, disfunzione erettile, depressione, declino della cognitività, stanchezza persistente, perdita di massa muscolare ecc. (1, 2);
In questi casi è necessario sottoporsi ad un’accurata valutazione medica per indagare le possibili cause, e se esistono condizioni cliniche riconducibile al cosiddetto ipogonadismo funzionale, caratterizzato da:
• bassi livelli sierici di testosterone, inferiori a 12 nmol/l;
• assenza di patologie dei testicoli (ipogonadismo primario) o dell’asse ipotalamo-ipofisi-gonadi (ipogonadismo secondario).
Esistono fattori aggravanti indipendenti dall’età?
Oltre alle citate disfunzioni metaboliche (1-5, 19, 20, 47-52), i disturbi ormonali e della fertilità risultano associati a vari fattori di rischio, es.:
• esposizione ad inquinanti come bisfenoli, ftalati, pesticidi, erbicidi, diossina, metalli pesanti, microplastiche, sostanze poli- e perfluoroalchiliche (PFAS), ed il particolato PM2,5 (2, 4, 5, 21);
• sedentarietà, fumo ed alcol, squilibri qualitativi e quantitativi dell’alimentazione (2, 4, 5, 22, 23, 25, 31);
• eccessiva e prolungata esposizione al calore (5, 20);
• stress psicofisico (2, 19);
• ridotta qualità e durata del sonno, sindrome delle apnee ostruttive notturne (20, 24);
• assunzione di steroidi anabolizzanti (19);
• insufficiente assunzione giornaliera di folati / acido folico (20, 26, 27), vitamina A (20), vitamina B6 (28), vitamina B12, (28, 29, 30), vitamina D (25, 31-34);
• attività fisico sportiva di elevata intensità e volume. Gli atleti endurance (es.: ciclisti, maratoneti) risultano ad alto rischiodi disturbi della riproduzione e declino del testosterone (5, 35, 36). Questo deriverebbe anche dal possibile insufficiente apporto alimentare qualitativo e quantitativo (5);
• malattie infiammatorie ed autoimmuni (37, 38, 39);
• infezioni dell’apparato urogenitale, es.: prostatiti, epididimiti ecc. (4). Esistono inoltre strette e reciproche interazioni tra disturbi della prostata, livelli di androgeni e perdita di massa muscolare (40, 41);
• steatosi epatica associata a disfunzioni metaboliche (42-46).
Quali possono essere le conseguenze degli insufficienti livelli di testosterone?
Il testosterone svolge importanti funzioni per controllare il metabolismo osseo, glucidico, proteico ecc., oltre a svolgere azioni antinfiammatorie ed immunoregolatrici (1-5, 9, 40, 53-59).
Come anticipato il calo della libido, la disfunzione erettile, la stanchezza cronica, la depressione sono tipiche conseguenze dell’ipogonadismo (1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 40, 53-59).
Inoltre, l’abbassamento dei livelli di testosterone aumenta il rischio di varie malattie, come quelle cardiovascolari, metaboliche e neurologiche; che, a loro volta, possono aggravare il declino ormonale maschile, attraverso l’aumento dello stress ossidativo e dell’infiammazione cronica (1-5, 9, 40, 53-59).
E’ possibile prevenire il declino del testosterone?
Mantenere un’elevata capacità antiossidante dell’organismo offre notevoli vantaggi per prevenire ed attenuare il precoce invecchiamento delle cellule specializzate per la biosintesi del testosterone e la spermatogenesi, oltre a ridurre il rischio di malattie croniche associate all’ipogonadismo ed all’infertilità (2, 5, 20, 31).
Infatti, l’adeguato apporto quantitativo e qualitativo di macro- e micronutrienti e l’opportuna riduzione dei fattori di rischio modificabili (es.: sovrappeso / obesità, fumo, alcol), risultano efficaci fino dalla giovane età per preservare nel tempo i livelli fisiologici di testosterone, le capacità riproduttive, ed i migliori standard di performance psicofisica e di vitalità (2, 5, 20, 31, 62, 63, 64).
Significativi risultati clinici sono stati ottenuti con l’integrazione mirata di vitamine, antiossidanti e antinfiammatori naturali, che non sempre l’alimentazione quotidiana riesce a fornire in quantità sufficienti (40, 41, 62, 63, 64, 76), ad esempio:
- vitamine del gruppo B, in particolare B6, folati / acido folico, B12 (28, 31, 65-69);
- coenzima Q10, anche in associazione a vitamina C, E, L-carnitina, zinco (2, 4, 25, 31, 71-95, 99, 100-112);
- polifenoli come curcumina e resveratrolo (2, 31, 77-84, 96).
Per preservare l’equilibrio ormonale maschile risulta inoltre importante mantenere adeguati livelli di vitamina D, magnesio, calcio, selenio, ed un regime alimentare bilanciato di stile mediterraneo, comprendente proteine di alta qualità, ed acidi grassi omega 3 (31).
Quali sono gli attuali orientamenti clinici per la terapia con testosterone?
Le più recenti linee guida, es.:European Association of Urology (113) e International Consultation on Sexual Medicine (114), forniscono precisi orientamenti clinici per la corretta e sicura gestione dell’ipogonadismo (1, 2, 113-116).
Secondo queste linee guida, nel caso dell’ipogonadismo funzionale con presenza dei sintomi, è in primo luogo necessario risolvere o migliorare i problemi clinici concomitanti, es.: ridurre il grasso corporeo, normalizzare i parametri metabolici (1, 2, 113-116). E’ inoltre opportuno a considerare la terapia con testosterone in base agli attuali criteri clinici, ed in assenza di controindicazioni (1, 2, 113-116).
Tra i punti chiave di maggiore rilievo definiti dalle linee guida, si distinguono (1, 2, 113-116):
• La terapia sostitutiva con testosterone è indicata per i pazienti sintomatici con livelli di testosterone inferiori a 12 nmol/l, dopo un’accurata verifica delle possibili controindicazioni, come malattie oncologiche, cardiovascolari ecc.
• Il quadro clinico considerato per attivare la terapia comprende: calo della libido, disfunzione erettile, declino delle funzioni cognitive, disturbi del sonno, depressione, stanchezza, perdita di massa muscolare, aumento del grasso viscerale, osteopenia ecc.
• Il trattamento appropriato con testosterone (iniettivo, gel ecc.) permette di migliorare la qualità di vita e la funzione sessuale dei pazienti. Mentre per la risoluzione o il miglioramento di altre condizioni cliniche, es.: disturbi depressivi, salute ossea, disturbi cognitivi e del sonno, le linee guida suggeriscono trattamenti specifici, perché la sola terapia con testosterone non può essere risolutiva.
In sintesi, gli studi clinici cosa suggeriscono agli uomini per proteggere la biosintesi del testosterone e la salute riproduttiva fino dalla giovane età?
• Assumere giornalmenteun’adeguato e bilanciato consumo di macro- e micro-elementi attraverso i cibi dell’alimentazione mediterranea;
• Ridurre i fattori di rischio causa d’infiammazione (es.: sovrappeso / obesità, fumo, alcol, stress psicofisico, inquinanti).
• Prevenire e curare correttamente le malattie metaboliche(sindrome metabolica, diabete tipo 2), che facilitano in modo bidirezionale il declino del testosterone e le disfunzioni riproduttive.
• Considerare l’uso di determinati integratori alimentari, in caso di insufficiente apporto giornaliero di micronutrienti, o di aumentato fabbisogno dovuto all’elevata esposizione ai fattori di rischio. Ad esempio, i nutraceutici della ricerca Mitochon srl offrono un significativo supporto anche per preservare e conservare nel tempo la salute maschile.
Sottoporsi ad accurate visite medichequando si manifestano i citati sintomi, per valutare con il medico curante la possibile gestione farmacologica dell’ipogonadismo clinicamente diagnosticato. Attualmente esistono precisi parametri e criteri, definiti dalle linee guida, per l’uso appropriato e sicuro della terapia con testosterone, in associazione al controllo ponderale, ed altri interventi contro i fattori di rischio interni ed esterni all’organismo.
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64. Mini-Review umore - energia - vitalità ruolo antiossidanti e vitamine 2025 https://www.mitochon.it/antiossidanti-e-vitamine-quali-effetti-su-umore-energia-e-vitalita/?v=0d149b90e739
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76. Mini-Review studio pilota Mitofast 2024 https://www.mitochon.it/mitofast-nuovi-ed-importanti-risultati-da-uno-studio-clinico-preliminare/
77. Mini-Review Resveratrolo - Età biologica / Coenzima Q10 disfunzione mitocondriale 2025 https://www.mitochon.it/resveratrolo-coenzima-q10-eta-biologica-mitocondri-cosa-ce-di-nuovo/?v=0d149b90e739
78. Mini-Review Coenzima Q10 - Resvreatrolo aterosclerosi - performance muscolare 2026 https://www.mitochon.it/coenzima-q10-novita-di-fine-2025-ed-inizio-2026/?v=0d149b90e739
79. Mini-Review Antiaging cognitivo 2025 https://www.mitochon.it/antiaging-cognitivo/?v=0d149b90e739
80. Mini-Review Antiaging cardiovascolare 2025 https://www.mitochon.it/antiaging-cardiovascolare/?v=0d149b90e739
81. Mini-Review Antiaging muscolare 2025 https://www.mitochon.it/antiaging-muscolare/?v=0d149b90e739
82. Mini-Review Osteoporosi - Resveratrolo 2025 https://www.mitochon.it/osteoporosi-nel-post-menopausa-attualita-sul-ruolo-del-resveratrolo-altri-antiossidanti-e-vitamine/?v=0d149b90e739
83. Mini-Review Sovrappenso / Obesità - Resveratrolo - Antiossidanti 2025 https://www.mitochon.it/sovrappeso-obesita-quale-contributo-dal-resveratrolo-ed-altri-antiossidanti/?v=0d149b90e739
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97. Mini-Review Glutathione e N-acetilcisteina nelle strategie antiaging 2026 https://www.mitochon.it/glutatione-e-n-acetilcisteina-nelle-strategie-antiaging/?v=0d149b90e739
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116. Mini-review Testosterone e salute maschile 2026 https://www.mitochon.it/testosterone-salute-maschile-e-ruolo-della-nutraceutica-selettiva/?v=0d149b90e739
autore Andrea Tognelli, Farmacista - Firenze****