SynthesisJournal of endocrinological investigation2016
Testosterone supplementation and body composition: results from a meta-analysis of observational studies.
Synthesis in Journal of endocrinological investigation, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 78 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
78 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 181 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of job stress on fertility, its intention, and infertility treatment among the workers: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Adverse cardiovascular events and mortality in men during testosterone treatment: an individual patient and aggregate data meta-analysis.The lancet. Healthy longevity · 2022Pooled it
- Testosterone treatment in male patients with Klinefelter syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2020Pooled it
- Testosterone Supplementation in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2020Pooled it
- Effects of Testosterone Supplementation on Body Composition in HIV Patients: A Meta-analysis of Double-blinded Randomized Controlled Trials.Current medical science · 2018Pooled it
- Effects of testosterone enanthate on aggression, risk-taking, competition, mood, and other cognitive domains during 28 days of severe energy deprivation.Psychopharmacology · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Effects of clomiphene citrate on male obesity-associated hypogonadism: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2018Trial
- Reduction of calprotectin and phosphate during testosterone therapy in aging men: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2017Trial
- Effects of Oxandrolone on Cardiometabolic Health in Boys With Klinefelter Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2017Trial
- Testosterone vs. aromatase inhibitor in older men with low testosterone: effects on cardiometabolic parameters.Andrology · 2017Trial
- Effects of testosterone treatment on body fat and lean mass in obese men on a hypocaloric diet: a randomised controlled trial.BMC medicine · 2016Trial
- Dyslipidemias associated with endocrine disorders: a position statement of the working group of the nutrition hormones and metabolism club of the italian society of endocrinology (SIE).Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2026Review
- Review
- Review
- Sex-Specific Association Between Serum VitaminD and Health Status Among Chinese Obesity People: A Cross-Sectional Study.Obesity surgery · 2025Article
- Testosterone therapy is associated with reduced risk of acute kidney injury, kidney failure with renal replacement therapy, and cardiovascular events in men with diabetes and hypogonadism.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2025Observational
- Depression, anxiety, and stress impair sperm quality via dysregulation of the mitochondrial PDK-PDC axis.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2025Article
- Testosterone Therapy in Men in Their 40s: A Narrative Review of Indications, Outcomes, and Mid-Term Safety.Cureus · 2025Review
- Association between waist-to-hip ratio and testosterone in Chinese men with young-onset type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.BMC endocrine disorders · 2025Article
18 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
9 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe concept of testosterone (T) supplementation (TS) as a new anti-obesity medication in men with testosterone deficiency syndrome (TDS) is emerging. Data from placebo-controlled trials are more conflicting. The aim of this study is to systematically review and meta-analyze available observational and register studies reporting data on body composition in studies on TS in TDS.
methodsAn extensive MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane search was performed including the following words: "testosterone" and "body composition." All observational studies comparing the effect of TS on body weight and other body composition and metabolic endpoints were considered.
resultsOut of 824 retrieved articles, 32 were included in the study enrolling 4513 patients (mean age 51.7 ± 6.1 years). TS was associated with a time-dependent reduction in body weight and waist circumference (WC). The estimated weight loss and WC reduction at 24 months were -3.50 [-5.21; -1.80] kg and -6.23 [-7.94; -4.76] cm, respectively. TS was also associated with a significant reduction in fat and with an increase in lean mass as well as with a reduction in fasting glycemia and insulin resistance. In addition, an improvement of lipid profile (reduction in total cholesterol as well as of triglyceride levels and an improvement in HDL cholesterol levels) and in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was observed.
conclusionsPresent data support the view of a positive effect of TS on body composition and on glucose and lipid metabolism. In addition, a significant effect on body weight loss was observed, which should be confirmed by a specifically designed RCT.
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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.