Cardiovascular Risks and Elevation of Serum DHT Vary by Route of Testosterone Administration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

November 2014 in “ BMC Medicine ”

Stephen E. Borst, Jonathan J. Shuster, Baiming Zou, Fan Ye, Huanguang Jia, Anita Wokhlu, Joshua F. Yarrow

testosterone replacement therapy TRT dihydrotestosterone DHT oral testosterone intramuscular testosterone transdermal testosterone testosterone therapy testosterone gel testosterone injection testosterone patch

Studysummary This research observed that oral testosterone replacement therapy significantly increases cardiovascular risk, while effects of injected or transdermal therapy on cardiovascular risk were not significant, prompting further investigation into these methods.

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Research cited in this study

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research Testosterone, Dihydrotestosterone, and Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality in the Cardiovascular Health Study

104 citations , March 2014 in “The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism/Journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism”

In this study, DHT and calculated free DHT were linked to higher risks of incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in elderly men, while total testosterone and calculated free testosterone showed no such associations.

research Invalidation of a Commercially Available Human 5α-Dihydrotestosterone Immunoassay

13 citations , September 2013 in “Steroids”

This study found that a commonly-used DHT enzyme immunoassay shows significant cross-reactivity with testosterone, leading to inaccurate DHT measurements compared to a gold-standard LC–MS/MS method.

research Androgen Actions on the Human Hair Follicle: Perspectives

115 citations , September 2012 in “Experimental Dermatology”

This article reviews the molecular mechanisms involved in androgenetic alopecia and the androgen's paradoxical role in hair growth, but reports no new experimental findings.

Effect of Testosterone Supplementation With and Without a Dual 5α-Reductase Inhibitor on Fat-Free Mass in Men With Suppressed Testosterone Production

research Effect of Testosterone Supplementation With and Without a Dual 5α-Reductase Inhibitor on Fat-Free Mass in Men With Suppressed Testosterone Production

124 citations , March 2012 in “JAMA”

This abstract discusses the unclear role of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in postembryonic life in marsupials and possibly humans, reporting no new findings.

research Intracrine and Myotrophic Roles of 5α-Reductase and Androgens

35 citations , October 2011 in “Medicine and science in sports and exercise”

This review discusses the role of skeletal muscle in synthesizing bioactive androgens, highlighting that intramuscular androgens may influence muscle via intracrine action, but their precise function remains unclear.

research Steady-State Pharmacokinetics of Oral Testosterone Undecanoate with Concomitant Inhibition of 5α-Reductase by Finasteride

10 citations , October 2010 in “International Journal of Andrology”

In this study, co-administration of finasteride with oral testosterone undecanoate in young men with induced hypogonadism had no significant effect on serum testosterone or dihydrotestosterone levels, likely due to TU's unique absorption route.

Original Research—Endocrinology: Comparison of the Steady-State Pharmacokinetics, Metabolism, and Variability of a Transdermal Testosterone Patch Versus a Transdermal Testosterone Gel in Hypogonadal Men

research Original Research—Endocrinology: Comparison of the Steady-State Pharmacokinetics, Metabolism, and Variability of a Transdermal Testosterone Patch Versus a Transdermal Testosterone Gel in Hypogonadal Men

38 citations , February 2005 in “The journal of sexual medicine”

This study found that a testosterone patch and gel showed bioequivalent testosterone levels in hypogonadal men, but the patch mimicked a natural circadian profile, while the gel resulted in higher dihydrotestosterone levels.

research Exogenous Testosterone or Testosterone with Finasteride Increases Bone Mineral Density in Older Men with Low Serum Testosterone

417 citations , February 2004 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism”

This study found that testosterone therapy increased bone mineral density in older men with low testosterone, and combining it with finasteride may reduce prostate enlargement associated with testosterone treatment.