Testosterone TikTok is harmful to men’s health

The crisis of masculinity will cost us dearly. [Bloomberg]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a lifetime of unnecessary and costly injections of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - The dark side [of TRT](. - Oregon’s [fentanyl spree](. - [Railroad transport]( is easy. - Xi accepts [reality](. Testostebros Take a look at your right hand. Is your ring finger slightly longer than your index finger? If you answered yes, congrats! A man who goes by [@bodybuilding_guru]( says you’re “genetically predisposed” to more testosterone. Never mind that [multiple scientists]( have debunked that idea. Or that TikTok is the [worst]( [possible]( [place]( to get health advice. Those who are interested in “[looksmaxxing]( will stop at nothing to [get swole]( including, incredibly, never touching [grocery store receipts](. Young men have an entire [lexicon]( to fight their current [crisis of masculinity]( They’re [mogging]( at the gym. They’re [mewing]( in class. They’re chugging [raw eggs]( for breakfast. They’re bulking to reach [a new PR]( And a growing [subset]( of them are “[testosterone-maxxing]( with [TRT]( a sex hormone replacement therapy they believe will enhance their sexual, physical and mental well-being: Chris Bryant [says]( we’re living in a [“Wild West”]( of testosterone. While plenty of people have a valid reason for treatment — perhaps they have a hemoglobin deficiency or they suffer from osteoporosis or they’re in need of gender-affirming care — [bad actors]( are all too eager to take advantage of Joe Rogan sycophants who religiously monitor their T-levels. “Championed by [buff podcasters]( [Hollywood actors]( fitness influencers and even [former US presidential candidates]( testosterone consumption is booming,” he writes. But blasting yourself with 500 mg of “test” isn’t a [TikTok experiment]( nor is it “akin to taking a [multivitamin]( It’s reckless, plain and simple. The widespread acceptance of TRT has created an aura of casualness that’s frankly unwarranted, Chris [writes](. “There’s a danger that opting for TRT as a cure-all means health issues such as obesity [aren’t appropriately addressed]( while [young men]( risk [impaired fertility]( and a lifetime of unnecessary and costly injections.” In the UK, for instance, Adrian Wooldridge [says]( adolescents are increasingly at risk of being overweight: “More than a fifth of 10-to–11-year-olds are classified as obese,” he writes. “The 2022 NHS mental health survey of 6-to–17-year-olds showed that 17% had symptoms of mental disorder, a 50% increase from 2017.” Britain clearly needs a strategy to get healthier, but testosterone hacking to transform into the Hulk shouldn’t be one of them. In fact, “cruising” on a persistently high dose of testosterone could make your heath [exponentially worse]( “Administering testosterone without medical supervision and at levels far greater than normally found in the body increases the possibility of side effects such as hair loss, male breast growth, mental health and [cardiovascular problems]( Chris writes. Read [the whole thing](. And please don’t worry about your fingers, I’m sure they’re a perfectly fine length. Bonus Health Fad Reading: [23andMe]( is just “Me” now. — Matt Levine Foiled by Fentanyl Elsewhere in risky health experiments, there is the state of Oregon, which tried to decriminalize drugs to ostensibly disastrous effects. “Many would argue that it showed us what not to do,” Lisa Jarvis [writes]( “But an honest assessment of what happened in Oregon paints a more complex picture.” When Measure 110 — which decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs — went into effect in mid-2021, Oregon had an [extremely high rate]( of addiction. It also lacked the clinics and workers to help those in need. “Without near-perfect execution, the experiment seemed destined to fail. And a failure is what many would call it,” Lisa writes. “Homelessness, [crime]( and addiction all rose, [straining public spaces]( and drug overdose deaths spiked as well. Given the timing of all that, the cause seems obvious: It had to be decriminalization. But [a recent paper]( found an entirely different culprit: fentanyl. “The results of their analysis, which compared Oregon with states that lacked decriminalization, stunned even the study authors, says Brandon del Pozo, an assistant professor at Brown University, who led the work. The rise in deaths was entirely due to fentanyl. All of it,” Lisa writes. Obviously, Oregon will never be the poster child for drug decriminalization. But it’d be a real shame if the state’s botched experiment doomed future efforts to steer public-health conversations away from punishment. Telltale Charts The transportation industry has a lot of shiny new toys these days. Cybertrucks. High-speed rail. Robo-taxis. Old-fashioned railroads, in comparison, seem boring. But Thomas Black [says]( they “are at a pivotal moment in their almost 200-year history.” Although trains are contributing less and less to the US economy, they still offer customers a lot of advantages: “Moving goods by train is slower but roughly 15% cheaper than by truck, especially for long hauls and for bulky goods. Railroads are much safer than trucks and are up to four times as fuel efficient.” For the first time in a long time, Chinese President Xi Jinping is choosing to put pragmatism before politics: “Beijing’s decision to [raise]( the retirement age shows that it’s [falling in line]( with other countries,” Karishma Vaswani [writes](. China’s “triple whammy of having among the world’s [lowest]( retirement ages, [declining birth figures]( and [rising]( life expectancy is weighing heavily on finances,” she writes. So much for Chinese exceptionalism! Further Reading Big banks are still [too fragile](. Blame the regulators. — Bloomberg’s editorial board Salesforce is [a dark horse]( in the artificial intelligence race. — Parmy Olson Kim Jong Un’s [message]( for [Harris and Trump]( may already be in the mail. — Andreas Kluth Commerzbank still [isn’t the right fit]( for Deutsche Bank. — Paul J. Davies The worst-performing [British supermarket]( needs a radical turnaround. — Andrea Felsted Markets decided to treat [the Fed’s mega cut]( as a disappointment. — John Authers If states should [decide abortion]( why can’t residents weigh in? — Mary Ellen Klas ICYMI Mark Robinson left [disturbing comments]( on a porn forum. Vance and Walz held [dueling meetings]( with CEOs. Warren Buffett’s [front yard]( might matter in November. A man was charged with [threatening to kill]( six Supreme Court justices. Kickers Don’t fall for the [fake pandas](. Sabrina Carpenter is [coming for Santa](. Giant [invasive spiders]( are spreading. Uncrustables launched its [first new flavor]( in a decade. The Bloody Mary [breaks free]( from brunch. Notes: Please send [Hail Caesars]( and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Threads]( [TikTok]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( and [Facebook](. [1] "Mogging" or ‘Mogger" is [derived]( from "AMOG," which stands for "Alpha Man Of the Group." [2] "Mewing" — named after John Mew, a British orthodontist— has virtually no scientific merit, but that doesn't stop young people from claiming it creates a well-defined jawline. To mew, you simply just stick your tongue against the roof of your mouth for 10-20 second increments. Have fun wasting precious minutes your life! Follow Us Stay updated by saving our new email address Our email address is changing, which means you’ll be receiving this newsletter from noreply@news.bloomberg.com. Here’s how to update your contacts to ensure you continue receiving it: - Gmail: Open an email from Bloomberg, click the three dots in the top right corner, select “Mark as important.” - Outlook: Right-click on Bloomberg’s email address and select “Add to Outlook Contacts.” - Apple Mail: Open the email, click on Bloomberg’s email address, and select “Add to Contacts” or “Add to VIPs.” - Yahoo Mail: Open an email from Bloomberg, hover over the email address, click “Add to Contacts.” Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](