Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32297287›Full record

SynthesisJournal of endocrinological investigation2020

Endogenous transient doping: physical exercise acutely increases testosterone levels-results from a meta-analysis.

S D'Andrea, G Spaggiari, A Barbonetti, D Santi

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of endocrinological investigation, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  6. Sex hormones and menopause hormone therapy predict muscle strength across the lifespan.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

S D'AndreaDepartment of Life, Health and Environment Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
G SpaggiariUnit of Endocrinology, Department of Medical Specialties, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Modena, Modena, Italy.
A BarbonettiDepartment of Life, Health and Environment Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
D SantiUnit of Endocrinology, Department of Medical Specialties, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Modena, Modena, Italy. daniele.santi@unimore.it.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAlthough endogenous testosterone levels are demonstrated to be affected by both acute exercise and resistance training, the dynamic regulation of androgen production after physical activity is still a matter of debate. This meta-analysis was designed to assess whether physical exercise acutely affects testosterone levels in men.

methodsThe literature search was conducted to identify longitudinal trials evaluating the acute change of both total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (fT) after physical activity in adult men. Sensitivity analyses were performed considering the sample collected (blood or saliva), the intensity of the physical exercise and the interval between the end of the exercise and the sample collection.

resultsForty-eight studies were included in the analysis, accounting for 126 trials. A total of 569 patients were enrolled (mean age 29.7 ± 13.1 years). The physical activity increased acutely TT (standardized mean difference 0.74, 95%CI: 0.56, 0.91 nmol/L), considering both serum and saliva samples (p < 0.001). Testosterone increased after moderate (p < 0.001) and high-intensity (p < 0.001) exercises, but not after mild physical activity (p = 0.19). Moreover, the testosterone increase was evident when measured immediately at the end of the exercise and within 30 min (p < 0.001), but not after 30 min (p = 0.930). Similar significant results were obtained considering fT, while SHBG did not change after physical activity (p = 0.090).

conclusionThe comprehensive evaluation of the acute physical activity effect on testosterone levels identified a clear increase after exercise, irrespective of the sample collected. The main determinant of this fluctuation was the exercise intensity, with a mechanism that seems to be mostly SHBG independent. In particular, moderate/intense physical activity resulted able to increase endogenous androgenic production, albeit acutely and transitory. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO registration ID: 157348.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultDoping in SportsExerciseExercise TherapyHumansMaleResistance TrainingSalivaTestosteroneUp-RegulationYoung AdultTestosteroneAndrogen levelExerciseFree testosteronePhysical activitySHBGTestosterone

Identifiers

PMID32297287

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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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.