ENDO: Testosterone May Have Heart Benefits in Male Metabolic Syndrome

By Charles Bankhead
SAN FRANCISCO, 18 june 2008-- Older hypogonadal men with metabolic syndrome had substantial improvement in cardiovascular risk factors with testosterone replacement therapy, according to two studies reported here.
Improvement in lipid profile and a reduction in waist circumference accompanied a doubling of serum testosterone levels during 12 months of hormonal therapy, Farid Saad, Ph.D., of Bayer Schering Pharma in Berlin, said at the Endocrine Society meeting.
The data also showed that neither age nor baseline testosterone level predicted the beneficial effects of replacement therapy.
"Restoring plasma testosterone levels to normal in elderly hypogonadal men leads to significant improvements of features of the metabolic syndrome," Dr. Saad and colleagues concluded. "The improvements are progressive and may continue beyond the 12-month period."
The findings came from a study of 95 hypogonadal men ages 34 to 69. All had metabolic syndrome, which is associated with low testosterone.
Noting that testosterone deprivation induces features of metabolic syndrome, the investigators said "it is of interest to study the effect of normalization of plasma testosterone levels in elderly hypogonadal men with features of metabolic syndrome."
At baseline the men had a mean testosterone level of 9.3 nmol/L, waist circumference of 105 cm, and an unfavorable lipid profile. The men received parenteral testosterone undecanoate for 12 months, at which time the baseline measurements were repeated.
At the end of the study, the mean testosterone level had increased to 19.4 nmol/L, and waist circumference had decreased to 101 cm. The reduction in waist circumference correlated with a reduction in body mass index. Additionally, all principal components of the lipid profile had improved:
Total cholesterol, 7.6 to 5.2 nmol/L
HDL, 1.4 to 1.6 mmol/L
LDL, 6.9 to 6.2 mmol/L
Triglycerides, 3.2 to 2.2 mmol/L
A second report involving the same men showed that the magnitude of testosterone therapy's effects on metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk was similar in men younger than 57, those who were 57 to 63, and men older than 63. The benefits also were similar in men whose baseline serum testosterone level was <7.9>10 nmol/L.
The study was supported by Bayer Schering, which manufactures a brand of testosterone undecanoate.
Primary source: ENDO 2008Source reference:Saad F, et al "Beneficial effects of normalization of testosterone levels in men with metabolic syndrome" ENDO 08; Abstract P2-270. Additional source: ENDO 2008Source reference: Gooren L, et al "Age and baseline testosterone value do not predict the beneficial effect of normalization of testosterone on the metabolic syndrome" ENDO 08; Abstract P2-271.