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Low-dose testosterone induced protein anabolism in postmenopausal women
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Low-dose testosterone therapy could be a promising treatment option for reducing protein breakdown and oxidation in elderly men and postmenopausal women, according to researchers.
“Oral testosterone administration resulted in a significant reduction in the rate of leucine appearance, an index of protein breakdown, and the rate of Lox, an index of irreversible loss of protein,” Vita Birzniece, MD, PhD, senior lecturer at the University Western Sydney, clinical researcher in endocrinology and metabolism at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and St. Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney and a senior lecturer at the University New South Wales, and colleagues wrote.
The researchers studied eight healthy postmenopausal women (mean age: 64.2 years; BMI: 26.8 kg/m2) administered 40-mg oral testosterone daily. Treatment effect was examined based on the concentration of testosterone, markers of hepatic function, resting energy expenditure and fat oxidation, as well as whole-body leucine turnover. Evaluations of liver transaminases, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), in addition to all other measurements, were collected at baseline and after 2 weeks of treatment.
Data indicate testosterone therapy significantly decreased the leucine rate of appearance by 7.1% and the leucine oxidation by 14.6% (P<.05). Although SHBG remained within normal range (16.8%), IGF-1 increased by 18.4% (P<.05), researchers wrote. However, there were no significant changes to liver transaminases. Peripheral testosterone concentrations increased from 0.4 nmol/L to 1.1 nmol/L (P<.05), according to data.
“In the post-absorptive state, oral testosterone administration did not significantly affect resting energy expenditure and carbohydrate and fatty acid oxidation in healthy postmenopausal women,” the researchers wrote.
These findings add to the literature that low-dose oral testosterone may be beneficial for both men and women, they wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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