Trial reportThe journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences2014
Testosterone induces erythrocytosis via increased erythropoietin and suppressed hepcidin: evidence for a new erythropoietin/hemoglobin set point.
Trial report in The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 182 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
182 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 396 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dysregulated iron metabolism related to ferroptosis in polycystic ovary syndrome: a meta-analysis and a case-control study in pregnant women.BMC endocrine disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Long-Term Cardiovascular Safety of Testosterone-Replacement Therapy in Middle-Aged and Older Men: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.American journal of cardiovascular drugs : drugs, devices, and other interventions · 2025Pooled it
- Diagnosis, management, and outcomes of drug-induced erythrocytosis: a systematic review.Blood advances · 2025Pooled it
- Population data provide evidence against the presence of a set point for hemoglobin levels or tissue oxygen delivery.Physiological reports · 2019Pooled it
- Male and undernourished children were at high risk of anemia in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2018Pooled it
- Intermittent exogenous ketosis increases erythropoietin in healthy adults: A randomized, placebo-controlled study with preliminary sex-specific observations.Physiological reports · 2026Trial
- Association of testosterone-induced increase in neutrophil and monocyte counts with thromboembolic events: The TRAVERSE trial.American heart journal · 2025Trial
- Circulatory lipid signature in response to short-term testosterone gel treatment of healthy young females.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Effects of testosterone and vitamin D on fall risk in pre-frail hypogonadal men: a factorial design RCT.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024Trial
- Efficacy of Testosterone Replacement Therapy in Correcting Anemia in Men With Hypogonadism: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- Effects of 14-weeks betaine supplementation on pro-inflammatory cytokines and hematology status in professional youth soccer players during a competition season: a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2021Trial
- Markers of Iron Flux during Testosterone-Mediated Erythropoiesis in Older Men with Unexplained or Iron-Deficiency Anemia.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2020Trial
- Differential effects of testosterone on circulating neutrophils, monocytes, and platelets in men: Findings from two trials.Andrology · 2020Trial
- Occlusion Training During Specific Futsal Training Improves Aspects of Physiological and Physical Performance.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2020Trial
- Thalidomide plus prednisone with or without danazol therapy in myelofibrosis: a retrospective analysis of incidence and durability of anemia response.Blood cancer journal · 2018Trial
- Association of Testosterone Levels With Anemia in Older Men: A Controlled Clinical Trial.JAMA internal medicine · 2017Trial
- Effect of testosterone on hepcidin, ferroportin, ferritin and iron binding capacity in patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and type 2 diabetes.Clinical endocrinology · 2016Trial
- Testosterone Attenuates Age-Related Fall in Aerobic Function in Mobility Limited Older Men With Low Testosterone.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2016Trial
- Testosterone alters iron metabolism and stimulates red blood cell production independently of dihydrotestosterone.American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism · 2014Trial
- Managing growth and puberty concerns in individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Updated guidance and future directions.Journal of neuromuscular diseases · 2026Review
122 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe mechanisms by which testosterone increases hemoglobin and hematocrit remain unclear.
methodsWe assessed the hormonal and hematologic responses to testosterone administration in a clinical trial in which older men with mobility limitation were randomized to either placebo or testosterone gel daily for 6 months.
resultsThe 7%-10% increase in hemoglobin and hematocrit, respectively, with testosterone administration was associated with significantly increased erythropoietin (EPO) levels and decreased ferritin and hepcidin levels at 1 and 3 months. At 6 months, EPO and hepcidin levels returned toward baseline in spite of continued testosterone administration, but EPO levels remained nonsuppressed even though elevated hemoglobin and hematocrit higher than at baseline, suggesting a new set point. Consistent with increased iron utilization, soluble transferrin receptor (sTR) levels and ratio of sTR/log ferritin increased significantly in testosterone-treated men. Hormonal and hematologic responses were similar in anemic participants. The majority of testosterone-treated anemic participants increased their hemoglobin into normal range.
conclusionsTestosterone-induced increase in hemoglobin and hematocrit is associated with stimulation of EPO and reduced ferritin and hepcidin concentrations. We propose that testosterone stimulates erythropoiesis by stimulating EPO and recalibrating the set point of EPO in relation to hemoglobin and by increasing iron utilization for erythropoiesis.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.