SynthesisAge (Dordrecht, Netherlands)2015
Effects of testosterone on lean mass gain in elderly men: systematic review with meta-analysis of controlled and randomized studies.
Synthesis in Age (Dordrecht, Netherlands), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 3 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
29 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adult- and late-onset male hypogonadism: the clinical practice guidelines of the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine (SIAMS) and the Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE).Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2022Guideline
- AMI and Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids: Case Report with Systematic Review.Current cardiology reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Muscular responses to testosterone replacement vary by administration route: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2018Pooled it
- Synchronous deficits in cumulative muscle protein synthesis and ribosomal biogenesis underlie age-related anabolic resistance to exercise in humans.The Journal of physiology · 2016Trial
- Rethinking Osteoporosis Drugs: Can We Simultaneously Address Sarcopenia?International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Benefits of Cardiac Rehabilitation: Mechanisms to Restore Function and Clinical Impact.Circulation research · 2025Review
- Testosterone therapy for functional hypogonadism in middle-aged and elderly males: current evidence and future perspectives.Hormones (Athens, Greece) · 2024Review
- Management of male obesity-related secondary hypogonadism: A clinical update.World journal of experimental medicine · 2024Review
- Anabolic steroid consumption among gym-goers in Amman: knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
- Use of weight loss medications in relation with prostate, colorectal and male breast cancers among older men: SEER-Medicare 2007-2015.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Article
- The Association Between Sarcopenia and Diabetes: From Pathophysiology Mechanism to Therapeutic Strategy.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2023Review
- Testosterone undecanoate administration prevents declines in fat-free mass but not physical performance during simulated multi-stressor military operations.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2022Article
- Sarcopenic Obesity: An Emerging Public Health Problem.Aging and disease · 2022Article
- The Role of Testosterone in the Elderly: What Do We Know?International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Effects of Testosterone on Serum Concentrations, Fat-free Mass, and Physical Performance by Population: A Meta-analysis.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2020Article
- Impaired ECM Remodeling and Macrophage Activity Define Necrosis and Regeneration Following Damage in Aged Skeletal Muscle.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Article
- Pharmacological targeting of age-related changes in skeletal muscle tissue.Pharmacological research · 2020Review
- Inactivity and Skeletal Muscle Metabolism: A Vicious Cycle in Old Age.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Review
- Sarcopenic Obesity: Epidemiologic Evidence, Pathophysiology, and Therapeutic Perspectives.Current obesity reports · 2019Review
- Anabolic-androgenic steroids and cardiovascular risk.Chinese medical journal · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of steroid anabolic androgenic hormones use on lean mass gain in elderly men through a systematic review with a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. We systematically searched PubMed database until 4th October 2013. We included randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCT) that studied testosterone replacement therapy in men over 60 years of age, with total testosterone levels ≤550 ng/dl, observing gains in weight, lean mass tissue and fat mass as outcome. We excluded duplicated studies, studies which mixed men and women, and studies using weak androgens such as dehydroepiandrosterone or androstenedione. The initial search yielded 2681 articles, of which 26 were selected for full text analysis. In the end, 11 studies were included. However, 3 studies were not included in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed that mean weight increased (lean mass), ranging from 1.65 (95 % CI, 1.61-1.69) to 6.20 (95 % CI, 5.22-7.18) kg, although it was heterogeneous (I (2) = 98 %). Effect estimate was 3.59 [2.38-4.81]. Androgen therapy decreased fat mass; effect estimate was -1.78 [-2.57, -0.99] that analysis had also a high level of heterogeneity (I (2) = 81 %). The results suggest that testosterone replacement therapy is able to increase muscle mass in elderly men and that is affected by the time that the treatment is carried out and the method of administration of the drug.
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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.