Testosterone Therapy Can Lead to Rapid Weight Loss
While many men use testosterone therapy to increase energy levels and improve overall health and fitness, there may be a considerable benefit in terms of rapid weight loss, according to the results of a recent study.
Researchers at Bayer Pharma, based in Berlin, Germany, found that testosterone replacement therapy helped testosterone-deficient men lose a significant amount of weight.
How much? An average of 36 pounds, according to Dr. Farid Saad, Ph.D., the study’s lead author.
Sustained Weight Loss
Previous studies of the use of testosterone therapies found that some men could lose weight. But the latest study was spread out over a period of five years and found that most subjects were able to lose a significant amount of weight even when they weren’t put on a controlled diet or required to follow a standard exercise program.
The average participant weight 236 pounds at the beginning of the study and only 200 pounds at the end of treatment. Weight loss was continuous throughout the study, with the average person losing about 4% of their body weight per year after the first year of treatment.
Participants also lost an average of 3.5 inches from their waistline, according to Saad.
Obesity and Testosterone Deficiency
There may be a connection between being overweight and having low testosterone, according to researchers. Loss of testosterone is something that typically happens to older men, who also happen to be more likely to be obese. Saad explained that there may be a “vicious cycle” when it comes to obesity and low testosterone.
Obesity is connected with lower testosterone and reduced testosterone can induce weight gain, he wrote in his abstract of the study.
In the study, the German researchers used a slow-release, injectable form of the male hormone that is not yet available in the US, although it is currently being marketed in Europe, South America, and Australia.
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