Effects of oral testosterone undecanoate on growth, body composition, strength and energy expenditure of adolescent boys.
OBJECTIVE
We determined the effect of 3 months of daily, 40 mg oral testosterone undecanoate on growth, body composition, hand grip and quadriceps muscle strength, and total free-living daily energy expenditure in boys with constitutionally delayed puberty.


METHODS
Double blind, placebo controlled study.


METHODS
Eighteen boys with constitutionally delayed puberty, mean (SD) age 13.2 (1.6) years.


METHODS
Body composition measurements were made by skinfold thickness, bioelectrical impedance and stable isotope dilution (H2(18)O) methods. Energy expenditure was assessed by the doubly-labelled water (2H2(18)O) technique.


RESULTS
Height velocity increased from 5.4 (0.8) to 8.1 (0.6) cm/year (P < 0.05) in the 3 months after active therapy. Fat-free mass increased more with therapy (2.7 (0.3) kg) over the 6-month study period than with placebo (1.7 (0.4) kg, P < 0.5). Height velocity increases correlated with daily increases in fat-free mass (r = 0.68, P = 0.005) in the study group as a whole. Energy expenditure and muscle strength increased similarly in both groups. Predicted adult height decreased in the group which was treated with testosterone undecanoate.


CONCLUSIONS
Testosterone undecanoate (40 mg daily for 3 months) significantly increased height velocity and fat-free mass velocities after 6 months but not muscle strength, endurance or total daily energy expenditure.
Gregory
J W
JW
Department of Child Health, University of Dundee, Scotland.
Greene
S A
SA
Thompson
J
J
Scrimgeour
C M
CM
Rennie
M J
MJ
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects*; D002648:Child; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects*; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000187:drug effects*; D011628:Puberty, Delayed / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*
D013739:Testosterone; C010792:testosterone undecanoate