Brain Injuries and Pituitary Damage Can Cause Low Testosterone

The common belief is that fighters with LT (low testosterone) have in the past abused steroids which in turn has caused their bodies to have a reduced testosterone production. Some times it is true sometimes it isn’t.I have been reading some research lately that has stated that repeated concussions and brain injuries can cause low testosterone. When a person receives a head injury it can cause damage to the pituitary gland which regulates hormone production. It is amazing to me that something that is a centimeter square in size can control so many bodily necessities such as testosterone.**In 2007, a paper published in the Journal of Athletic Training reported thefirst known connection between mild concussions and hypopituitarism, a deficiency that can lead to low testosterone. Research is ongoing on brain injuries and the effects on testosterone production. Research in brain injury is still realitively a new process and it will take years to see the final results of this research but the start of it has grown by leaps and bounds rapidly.I am not saying that testosterone replacement therapy is the cure for every fighter’s issues but it would be nice to take into consideration the fact that a malfunctioning pituitary gland can cause issues and treat each case individually instead of condemning all fighters that are on TRT. It is a proven fact that fighters take hits to the head everyday they train. This can not be controlled by any commission or doctor. But the fighters need to be aware of the fact that these repeated head traumas can cause testosterone deficiency.The knowledge that pituitary gland injury causes low testosterone isn’t widespread. Most people you would ask don’t know that repeated head injuries can cause damage to the gland and in turn cause low testosterone. Most I dare to say wouldn’t even know that the pituitary gland controls the release of testosterone.Like I said earlier this is not the one diagnoses fits all fighters deal. Each fighter that thinks they have low testosterone should also in my opinion be tested for pituitary gland damage, and in turn have a legitimate case for testosterone replacement therapy.I would just like for more people to understand there are more causes of low testosterone than previous steroid use and for each case to be looked at on an individual basis.  **quoted from MMAfighting.com article by Mike Chiapetta