Hypogonadism is defined by testosterone deficiency with associated symptoms and/or decreased sperm production.
Long-term testosterone therapy may help men with hypogonadism lose weight and maintain their progress, according to German and American researchers.
Gradual and sustained weight loss
“Obesity is very common in men with testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism),” said Karim Haider, urologist and andrologist. “Men with hypogonadism and obesity receiving long-term testosterone treatment experienced gradual and sustained weight loss, while untreated controls gained weight. Decreases in weight and waist circumference may have contributed to the observed reductions in mortality and major cardiovascular problems.”
To produce these findings, his team followed 805 hypogonadal patients who were, on average, in their late 50s to mid-60s. The 462 obese patients (57.4%) were given the choice between long-term treatment with testosterone and testosterone undecanoate injections of 1000mg every 12 weeks. Of these, 273 elected to receive testosterone, and the 189 who refused treatment served as controls.
Minus 22.9 pounds
In 10 years, men treated with testosterone lost an average of 20.3% of their base weight (22.9 kilos) and their waist circumference decreased by 12.5 cm. On the other hand, the untreated men gained 3.9% of their base weight (3.2 kg) and their waist circumference increased by 4.6 cm.
During this period, 12 (4.4%) men in the “testosterone group” died, while in the untreated control group, 57 deaths (30.2%), 47 myocardial infarctions (24.9%) and 44 strokes (23.3%) occurred. “This suggests that testosterone levels should be measured in obese men, and testosterone treatment should be offered if indicated.
The average for OECD countries is 19.5% obese. The United States, Mexico, New Zealand and Hungary are the most affected countries with respectively 38, 2, 32, 4, 30.7 and 30% obese. Japan, Korea, Italy and Switzerland are the least affected countries with 3, 7, 5, 3, 9, 8 and 10.3% obese. Obesity in France affects 15.8% of men and 15.6% of women. More generally, 1 in 2 French people is overweight, i.e. 56.8% of men and 40% of women.
.