News

Testosterone Replacement: Medical Alternative to Bariatric Surgery?

Author and Disclosure Information

Key clinical point: Testosterone replacement therapy may be an effective means of attaining long-term weight loss in severely obese hypogonadal men.

Major finding: Mean body mass index fell from 41.9 kg/m2 to 33.6 kg/m2 over the course of up to 6 years of testosterone undecanoate injections at 1,000 mg every 12 weeks.

Data source: A retrospective analysis of 46 hypogonadal men with grade III obesity participating in a prospective registry.

Disclosures: The presenter is an employee Bayer Pharma, which sponsored the study.


 

AT ICE/ENDO 2014

References

CHICAGO – Testosterone replacement therapy may provide a pharmacologic alternative to bariatric surgery in severely obese hypogonadal men.

Mean body mass index in 46 hypogonadal men with grade III obesity dropped from 41.9 to 33.6 kg/m2 while they were receiving testosterone undecanoate at 1,000 mg by intramuscular injection every 12 weeks for up to 6 years, Farid Saad, Ph.D., reported at the joint meeting of the International Congress of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society.

The subjects, with a mean age was 60 years, were culled from two prospective registries totaling 561 men with a serum total testosterone of 12.1 nmol/L or less along with symptoms of testosterone deficiency. These 46 men were selected for the analysis because a BMI of 40 kg/m2 or more is an indication for bariatric surgery, and the impact of testosterone replacement in hypogonadal men with grade III obesity has not previously been studied, explained Dr. Saad, director of scientific affairs at Bayer Pharma in Berlin.

Mean body weight in this group decreased from 129 to 103 kg. Weight loss grew over time: The men averaged a 2.7% reduction in body weight after 1 year of testosterone therapy, 7.3% after 2 years, 10.9% after 3 years, 14.1% after 4 years, 17.4% after 5 years, and a 20.8% decrease from baseline body weight after 6 years of therapy.

Mean waist circumference shrunk from 118.4 cm at baseline to 106.5 cm.

On the basis of these long-term results, testosterone replacement therapy appears to be an effective means of achieving sustained weight loss in severely obese hypogonadal men, he concluded.

The registry study was funded by Bayer Pharma, which markets testosterone undecanoate as Aveed.

Recommended Reading

Hypoglycemia Common After Bariatric Surgery
Clinician Reviews
Fractures Increased With Two Diabetes Drugs
Clinician Reviews
Successful Bariatric Surgery Also May Improve Urinary Incontinence
Clinician Reviews
Markers predict hypoglycemia on intensive glycemic therapy
Clinician Reviews
Diabetes Increases Risk for Atrial Fibrillation
Clinician Reviews
Targeting the Kidneys to Improve Glycemic Control
Clinician Reviews
Type 2 Diabetes Boosts Risk for Death in Heart Failure Patients by 70%
Clinician Reviews
1% Jump in Glucose Yields 25% Jump in Cardiovascular Risk
Clinician Reviews
Link Between Diabetes and Antidepressants "Not Causal"
Clinician Reviews
Distinct A1C and Blood Pressure Trajectories Found in T2DM
Clinician Reviews