Hegseth Promises ‘High-T’ Military With Pentagon About To Screen Troop Testosterone Levels

The defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, says the Pentagon will begin a testosterone deficiency screening program to ensure troops have the “best testosterone levels” to operate at their best.Mr. Hegseth says members of the military — aged 30 and older — will be tested annually as part of their health assessment. Those under the age of 30 can take the test voluntarily.“If treatment is recommended, it is entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy,” Mr. Hegseth said in an X video released Wednesday. The post was captioned, “The High-T Department of War.”“We owe our warriors the best medical care in the world and this program delivers on that obligation,” Mr. Hegseth said.Mr. Hegseth’s video was met with ridicule by some X users. “So basically, we’re providing ‘gender-affirming care’ so ‘warfighters’ can become the sex they were born,” one person commented.“Might as well test them for serotonin and dopamine deficiency as well. Service members need to be happy and in good mood,” another responded.“And the women in the service?” one user asked.Lower testosterone levels, however, is a known problem in the armed forces. A clinical psychologist named the condition “Operator Syndrome” and said it was a “natural consequence” of the physical and mental wear and tear members of the military face when they are exposed to long-term stress.A 2019 study found that military personnel can have 65 percent less testosterone than the average man and found that testosterone replacement therapy could be a “viable countermeasure” to effectively reverse the losses.Testosterone levels generally peak during adolescence and early adulthood and gradually decline as a person ages — typically about 1 percent a year after age 30 or 40.The health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy has supported testosterone therapy and has said he has injected testosterone as part of his own health regimen. The Department of Health and Human Services, in June, announced that it was requesting updates to the prescribing information for testosterone replacement therapy products.One of the proposed changes would remove required labeling that states the safety and effectiveness of testosterone replacement therapy in men with low testosterone levels without a known underlying cause have not been established.“We are putting science back at the center of men’s healthcare,” Mr. Kennedy said in a statement. “By updating testosterone therapy labels to reflect current evidence, we are giving patients and physicians clearer information, supporting informed medical decisions, and improving care for millions of American men.”The Mayo Clinic says testosterone therapy has potential benefits and risks but the benefits are not clear. “Testosterone therapy might seem like the ultimate anti-aging formula. Yet the health benefits of testosterone therapy for age-related decline in testosterone aren’t clear,” the clinic wrote in 2024. It adds that while testosterone therapy might improve sexual function somewhat in some men, there’s little evidence that it improves other functions, such as vitality and energy.Possible risks of testosterone therapy include potential worsening sleep apnea, acne or other skin reactions, stimulating noncancerous growth of the prostate, and enlarging breasts.A University of Sydney study released in February found that social media content produced by influencers is encouraging young men to undergo testosterone testing and start unnecessary hormone therapy.The Pentagon declined a request for further detail on the program Mr. Hegseth announced.

Hegseth Promises ‘High-T’ Military With Pentagon About To Screen Troop Testosterone Levels

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