Trial reportThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism2019
A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Low-Dose Testosterone Therapy in Women With Anorexia Nervosa.
Trial report in The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Anorexia nervosa and adrenal hormones: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of endocrinology · 2023Pooled it
- Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels predict weight gain in women with anorexia nervosa.The International journal of eating disorders · 2022Trial
- Approved and Pipeline Pharmacological Interventions for Eating Disorders (2010-2025): 15 Years of Progress (or Lack Thereof).CNS drugs · 2026Review
- Therapeutic approaches for endocrine dysregulation in anorexia nervosa in adolescents.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- A naturalistic study of plasma lipid alterations in female patients with anorexia nervosa before and after weight restoration treatment.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Article
- Salivary testosterone is associated with feelings of senselessness and self-dislike in women with borderline personality disorder.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2024Article
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in anorexia nervosa; an underestimated endocrine dysfunction among adolescents.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2024Review
- Endocrine complications of anorexia nervosa.Journal of eating disorders · 2023Review
- Article
- Low oxytocin levels are broadly associated with more pronounced psychopathology in anorexia nervosa with primarily restricting but not binge/purge eating behavior.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Article
- Use of androgens at different stages of life: reproductive period.Revista brasileira de ginecologia e obstetricia : revista da Federacao Brasileira das Sociedades de Ginecologia e Obstetricia · 2021Article
- Gonadal Hormone Influences on Sex Differences in Binge Eating Across Development.Current psychiatry reports · 2021Review
- Pharmacotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of anorexia nervosa - too much for one drug?Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
contextAnorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric illness with considerable morbidity and no approved medical therapies. We have shown that relative androgen deficiency in AN is associated with greater depression and anxiety symptom severity.
objectiveTo determine whether low-dose testosterone therapy is an effective endocrine-targeted therapy for AN.
designDouble-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
settingClinical research center.
participantsNinety women, 18 to 45 years, with AN and free testosterone levels below the median for healthy women.
interventionTransdermal testosterone, 300 μg daily, or placebo patch for 24 weeks.
main outcome measuresPrimary end point: body mass index (BMI). Secondary end points: depression symptom severity [Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)], anxiety symptom severity [Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)], and eating disorder psychopathology and behaviors.
resultsMean BMI increased by 0.0 ± 1.0 kg/m2 in the testosterone group and 0.5 ± 1.1 kg/m2 in the placebo group (P = 0.03) over 24 weeks. At 4 weeks, there was a trend toward a greater decrease in HAM-D score (P = 0.09) in the testosterone vs placebo group. At 24 weeks, mean HAM-D and HAM-A scores decreased similarly in both groups [HAM-D: -2.9 ± 4.9 (testosterone) vs -3.0 ± 5.0 (placebo), P = 0.72; HAM-A: -4.5 ± 5.3 (testosterone) vs -4.3 ± 4.4 (placebo), P = 0.25]. There were no significant differences in eating disorder scores between groups. Testosterone therapy was safe and well tolerated with no increase in androgenic side effects compared with placebo.
conclusionLow-dose testosterone therapy for 24 weeks was associated with less weight gain-and did not lead to sustained improvements in depression, anxiety, or disordered eating symptoms-compared with placebo in women with AN.
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.