TY - JOUR
T1 - Long-term testosterone supplementation in older men attenuates age-related decline in aerobic capacity
AU - Traustadóttir, Tinna
AU - Harman, S. Mitchell
AU - Tsitouras, Panayiotis
AU - Pencina, Karol M.
AU - Li, Zhuoying
AU - Travison, Thomas G.
AU - Eder, Richard
AU - Miciek, Renee
AU - McKinnon, Jennifer
AU - Woodbury, Erin
AU - Basaria, Shehzad
AU - Bhasin, Shalender
AU - Storer, Thomas W.
N1 - Funding Information:
Financial Support: This investigator-initiated study was funded by a grant from Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc and later by AbbVie Pharmaceuticals Inc when Abbvie acquired the Androgel brand from Solvay Pharmaceuticals (to S. Bhasin) and by a grant from the Aurora Foundation to the Kronos Longevity Research Institute (S.M.H.). Additional support was provided by the National Institute on Aging–funded Boston Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (5 P30 AG031679) (to S. Bhasin) by Boston University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (1UL1RR025771), (to S. Bhasin). Testosterone and Placebo gel for the study were provided by Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and later by Abbvie Pharmaceuticals. None of the sponsors had any involvement in designing, planning, or executing the trial; the writing of the manuscript; or the decision to publish the data.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Endocrine Society.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Context: Testosterone increases skeletal muscle mass and strength, but long-term effects of testosterone supplementation on aerobic capacity, or peak oxygen uptake (V.O2peak), in healthy older men with low testosterone have not been evaluated. Objective: To determine the effects of testosterone supplementation on V.O2peak during incremental cycle ergometry. Design: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial (Testosterones Effects on Atherosclerosis Progression in Aging Men). Setting: Exercise physiology laboratory. Participants: Healthy men aged ≥ 60 years with total testosterone levels of 100 to 400 ng/dL (3.5 to 13.9 nmol/L) or free testosterone levels <50 pg/mL (174 pmol/L). Interventions: Randomization to 1% transdermal testosterone gel adjusted to achieve serum levels of 500 to 950 ng/dL or placebo applied daily for 3 years. Main Outcome Measures: Change in V.O 2 peak. Results: Mean (6SD) baseline V.O 2 peak was 24.2 ± 5.2 and 23.6 ± 5.6 mL/kg/min for testosterone and placebo, respectively. V.O 2 peak did not change in men treated with testosterone but fell significantly in men receiving placebo (average 3-year decrease, 0.88 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, 21.39 to 0.38 mL/kg/min; P = 0.035); the difference in change in V.O 2 peak between groups was significant (average 3-year difference, 0.91 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, 0.010 to 0.122 mL/kg/min; P = 0.008). The 1-g/dL mean increase in hemoglobin (P < 0.001) was significantly associated with changes in V.O 2 peak in testosterone-treated men. Conclusion: The mean 3-year change in V.O 2 peak was significantly smaller in men treated with testosterone than in men receiving placebo and was associated with increases in hemoglobin. The difference in V.O 2 peak change between groups may indicate attenuation of its expected agerelated decline; the clinical meaningfulness of the modest treatment effect remains to be determined.
AB - Context: Testosterone increases skeletal muscle mass and strength, but long-term effects of testosterone supplementation on aerobic capacity, or peak oxygen uptake (V.O2peak), in healthy older men with low testosterone have not been evaluated. Objective: To determine the effects of testosterone supplementation on V.O2peak during incremental cycle ergometry. Design: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial (Testosterones Effects on Atherosclerosis Progression in Aging Men). Setting: Exercise physiology laboratory. Participants: Healthy men aged ≥ 60 years with total testosterone levels of 100 to 400 ng/dL (3.5 to 13.9 nmol/L) or free testosterone levels <50 pg/mL (174 pmol/L). Interventions: Randomization to 1% transdermal testosterone gel adjusted to achieve serum levels of 500 to 950 ng/dL or placebo applied daily for 3 years. Main Outcome Measures: Change in V.O 2 peak. Results: Mean (6SD) baseline V.O 2 peak was 24.2 ± 5.2 and 23.6 ± 5.6 mL/kg/min for testosterone and placebo, respectively. V.O 2 peak did not change in men treated with testosterone but fell significantly in men receiving placebo (average 3-year decrease, 0.88 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, 21.39 to 0.38 mL/kg/min; P = 0.035); the difference in change in V.O 2 peak between groups was significant (average 3-year difference, 0.91 mL/kg/min; 95% CI, 0.010 to 0.122 mL/kg/min; P = 0.008). The 1-g/dL mean increase in hemoglobin (P < 0.001) was significantly associated with changes in V.O 2 peak in testosterone-treated men. Conclusion: The mean 3-year change in V.O 2 peak was significantly smaller in men treated with testosterone than in men receiving placebo and was associated with increases in hemoglobin. The difference in V.O 2 peak change between groups may indicate attenuation of its expected agerelated decline; the clinical meaningfulness of the modest treatment effect remains to be determined.
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U2 - 10.1210/jc.2017-01902
DO - 10.1210/jc.2017-01902
M3 - Article
C2 - 29846604
AN - SCOPUS:85054320905
SN - 0021-972X
VL - 103
SP - 2861
EP - 2869
JO - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
IS - 8
ER -