June is Men’s Health Month, and what better time than now for Black men to question one of the most dominant messages in wellness culture: the belief that testosterone is the golden ticket for vitality.
The demand is massive. According to The New York Times, nearly 12 million testosterone prescriptions were written in 2025. In daily life, the “low-T” conversation stretches from Hall of Famer Frank Thomas’ infomercials to social media ads. Influencers present testosterone as a cure-all, while gym culture glorifies it as a shortcut to muscle gains.
To understand whether testosterone is truly a fountain of youth or a distraction from deeper health risks, The Root spoke with Dr. Arthur Burnett, a globally recognized Johns Hopkins urologist, educator and researcher.
The Real Issue May Not Be Testosterone At All
Men who suspect their testosterone is low should start with medicine, not marketing, Burnett said. While it’s easy to order hormones online, Burnett emphasized that “testosterone therapy should be done appropriately,” with clinical guidelines, symptom reviews and biochemical testing that determines whether testosterone levels are actually subnormal.
He cautioned that treating a self-diagnosed issue carries major risks, since symptoms like fatigue and low libido often point to deeper, unaddressed health problems, such as sleep apnea, stress or chronic illness. All of these issues are frequently mistaken for low testosterone.
A Unique Danger for Black Men
Misdiagnosing these symptoms can be a critical mistake for Black men. According to the HHS Office of Minority Health, Black men face a 60 percent higher risk of diabetes, significantly higher rates of high blood pressure, and a 28 percent higher likelihood of obesity compared to white men. Because these chronic conditions rarely exist alone, skipping the primary care doctor and masking them with a quick hormone fix only delays care for the real underlying issues.
“Just seeking supplements for testosterone is perhaps less beneficial than just addressing the problem up front,” Burnett told The Root.
Misuse, Risk and a Fertility Warning
The New York Times reported that only 5.6 percent of men are actually testosterone-deficient, and the condition is most prevalent in older men. Yet most recent prescriptions went to younger men between 35 and 44, raising concerns about platforms that prescribe hormones regardless of clinical need.
Misusing testosterone is risky and can have permanent consequences. Burnett shared a warning for younger men about their natural biology: “If you take a lot of exogenous testosterone, it will shut down your own hormone axis, and you’ll become infertile.”
He further cautioned that believing testosterone will maximize physique or sexual prowess reflects a misunderstanding of what the hormone actually does. The danger, he said, lies in men being encouraged to pursue hormones for aesthetics or performance anxiety rather than medical need.
A Broader Definition of Manhood
Burnett’s message isn’t that testosterone doesn’t matter. In fact, his recent research found that it can benefit some men treated for prostate cancer, debunking the old assumption that testosterone and prostate cancer had to be discussed separately.
However, Burnett stressed that while testosterone contributes to “maleness,” it should not be mistaken for a definition of manhood. “That’s not what manhood is entirely all about,” he said.
Burnett suggested that for some Black men, the appeal of testosterone marketing taps into deeper pressures around identity. “Protecting their manhood may be their last vestige of who they are.” Breaking that cycle, Burnett said, is a matter of health equity, because manhood is bigger than performance or physique.
This Men’s Health Month, Black men deserve better than a marketing gimmick. Before blaming low T, the more useful question may be for your primary care doctor: “What’s really going on with my health?”
