New research study covering 11 years of information provided at this year’s European and International Congress on Obesity (ECOICO 2020) reveal that, in overweight guys experiencing hypogonadism (low testosterone), treatment with testosterone injections decreases their weight and enhances a wide variety of other metabolic criteria. The research study has actually been led by Dr. Farid Saad, Consultant, Medical Affairs Andrology, Bayer AG, Berlin, Germany, and Gulf Medical University School of Medicine, Ajman, UAE, and coworkers.
Across the last years, Dr Saad’s group has actually provided several pieces of research study on the impacts of testosterone at other congresses, consisting of previous years of the European Congress on Obesity. In these most current updates, they supply the most recent information on the long-lasting advantages, and likewise recommend testosterone treatment (TTh) might be a reliable option to bariatric (weight problems) surgical treatment.
The scientists gathered information from a German computer registry of guys in 2004 from a urological practice based in Bremerhaven. The guys all had practical hypogonadism (low testosterone without a recognized natural cause), and 471 of 773 guys (61%) had weight problems. Of these guys with weight problems, 276 guys got TTh with testosterone undecanoate (TU) (a 1000 mg injection in the center every 3 months) for as much as 11 years (T-group). The other 195 guys decided versus TTh and acted as controls (CTRL). Since injections were administered in the physician’s workplace and recorded, there was a 100% adherence to testosterone treatment. No clients left of the research study.
Changes in time in between groups were compared and changed for age, weight, waist area, fasting glucose, high blood pressure, blood fats, and lifestyle to represent standard distinctions in between the 2 groups. The suggest follow-up duration was 8.8 years for the T-group and 8.4 years for controls, and the typical age 60.6 years in the T-group and 63.5 years in the control group.
After 11 years of information collection in the computer registry (covering the duration 2004-19 with all clients having at least 11 years of information) weight (kg) reduced by a mean of 23kg in the T group (from 114kg to 89kg prior to modification, and to 87 kg after modification for standard age, waist area, weight, fasting glucose, systolic and diastolic high blood pressure, overall cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and the lifestyle scale AMS). Conversely, suggest weight increased by 6kg in the control group. In portion terms, the outcomes were comparable – with the T-group losing approximately 20% bodyweight, whereas controls increased by 6%.
Waist area reduced by a mean 13cm in those getting testosterone treatment, and increased by 7cm in the control group. Body mass index (BMI) fell by 7.6 points in the T-group (from 36.8 to 28.8 prior to modification, and to 27.9 after modification), while it increased by 2 points in the controls. Measurements of visceral fat (internal fat held centrally and surrounding organs, and believed to trigger increased health threats) were likewise lower in the T-group. The so-called visceral adiposity index (VAI) reduced by 2.7 points in the T-group and increased by 3.1 in the control groups.
There was likewise a substantial death distinction in between groups: 21 clients (7.6%) passed away in the T-group and 63 (32.3%) in the control group. More than a quarter of guys (28%) in the control group had a cardiac arrest, and 53 (27.2%) a stroke. There were no significant cardiovascular occasions in the T-group. All the deaths in the T-group were associated with traffic and sport mishaps and post-surgical infections.
An overall of 156 guys (56.6%) in the T-group and 124 controls (63.6%) had type 2 diabetes at standard (specified as glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] of 6.5% or greater). An additional 43 clients (22.1%) established T2D throughout the research study, suggesting nearly all (85%) of control clients had T2D after 11 years of follow-up. No extra clients in the T-group established type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Saad states: “Long-term testosterone therapy in hypogonadal men resulted in profound and sustained in weight loss which may have contributed to reductions in mortality and cardiovascular events. Untreated men with hypogonadism gained weight.”
In other research study provided at this ECOICO 2020 congress, the scientists looked particularly at guys in the computer registry with weight problems class III, the greatest weight problems classification making them most qualified for weight problems (bariatric) surgical treatment. An overall of 76 of the 773 guys (9.8%) remained in this classification. Of these, 59 guys got testosterone treatment as specified above, while the other 17 guys decided versus this and acted as controls. Similar to the outcomes for the entire computer registry, weight reduced by a mean 30kg in the T group and increased by 5kg in controls. BMI reduced by 10.0 points in the T group and increased by 3.0 points in controls.
Dr. Saad states: “Long-term testosterone therapy in men with hypogonadism and the most severe level of obesity resulted in profound and sustained weight loss in a magnitude comparable to that achieved with metabolic (obesity) surgery. Side effects and complications may be in favor of testosterone therapy. We believe testosterone therapy should be discussed with patients as an alternative to surgery and should be considered for male patients who cannot undergo surgery.”
