Hormone therapy results in weight loss

Men using testosterone replacement therapy experienced significant weight loss, researchers in Germany found. Lead author of Bayer Pharma in Berlin said previous research showed testosterone-deficient men consistently show changes in body composition, but the net effect on weight seemed unchanged. However, in the current study had a longer follow-up by at least two years and used long-acting injections of testosterone. The investigators restored testosterone to normal levels in 255 testosterone-deficient men, whose average age was nearly 61. Treatment lasted for up to five years, with injections given at day one, after six weeks and then every 12 weeks after that. Patients did not follow a controlled diet or standard exercise program but received advice to improve their lifestyle habits. The study found, on average, the men weighed 236 pounds before beginning testosterone treatment and 200 pounds after treatment. Weight loss was reportedly continuous, with an average reduction in body weight ranging from about 4 percent after one year of treatment to more than 13 percent after five years. In addition, the men lost an average of nearly 3.5 inches from their waist. "The substantial weight loss found in our study -- an average of 36 pounds -- was a surprise," Saad said in a statement. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 94th annual meeting in Houston.