Testosterone Supplementation Improves Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism in Some Older Men with Abdominal Obesity (original) (raw)

The effects of testosterone supplementation on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in obese older men are uncertain. We conducted a single-arm open-label prospective pilot study to investigate the effects of testosterone supplementation on central and peripheral insulin sensitivity in older men with upper body obesity and insulin resistance. Twenty men (62-78 years-old) with morning testosterone levels <13.9 nmol/L (400 ng/dL), waist circumference ≥ 102 cm, and HOMA-IR ≥ 4.0 or HgbA1C 5.7-6.4% applied transdermal testosterone (10 mg) daily for 20 weeks. Insulin sensitivity (Si) was determined by a 2-stage glucose clamp, liver and intramyocellular lipid by (1)H-MR spectroscopy and body composition by DEXA. Testosterone supplementation significantly reduced total fat (-.9 ± 2.4 kg, p=0.002), trunk fat (-1.3 ± 1.4 kg, p=0.0007) and extremity fat (-0.7 ± 1.1 kg, p=0.01), and increased extremity lean tissue (+1.3 ± 1.4 kg, p=0.0006). Whole body (WB) Si improved by 21% (0.76 ± 1.57 dL/mi...