Context.

Testosterone in Older Men with Mobility Limitations Trial determined the effects of testosterone on muscle performance and physical function in older men with mobility limitation. Trial’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board recommended enrollment cessation due to increased frequency of adverse events in testosterone arm. The changes in muscle performance and physical function were evaluated in relation to participant’s perception of change.

Methods.

Men aged 65 years and older, with mobility limitation, total testosterone 100–350 ng/dL, or free testosterone less than 50 pg/mL, were randomized to placebo or 10 g testosterone gel daily for 6 months. Primary outcome was leg-press strength. Secondary outcomes included chest-press strength, stair-climb, 40-m walk, muscle mass, physical activity, self-reported function, and fatigue. Proportions of participants exceeding minimally important difference in study arms were compared.

Results.

Of 209 randomized participants, 165 had follow-up efficacy measures. Mean (SD) age was 74 (5.4) years and short physical performance battery score 7.7 (1.4). Testosterone arm exhibited greater improvements in leg-press strength, chest-press strength and power, and loaded stair-climb than placebo. Compared with placebo, significantly greater proportion of men receiving testosterone improved their leg-press and chest-press strengths (43% vs 18%, p = .01) and stair-climbing power (28% vs 10%, p = .03) more than minimally important difference. Increases in leg-press strength and stair-climbing power were associated with changes in testosterone levels and muscle mass. Physical activity, walking speed, self-reported function, and fatigue did not change.

Conclusions.

Testosterone administration in older men with mobility limitation was associated with patient-important improvements in muscle strength and stair-climbing power. Improvements in muscle strength and only some physical function measures should be weighed against the risk of adverse events in this population.

Background

Testosterone supplementation has been shown to increase muscle mass and strength in healthy older men. The safety and efficacy of testosterone treatment in older men who have limitations in mobility have not been studied.

Methods

Community-dwelling men, 65 years of age or older, with limitations in mobility and a total serum testosterone level of 100 to 350 ng per deciliter (3.5 to 12.1 nmol per liter) or a free serum testosterone level of less than 50 pg per milliliter (173 pmol per liter) were randomly assigned to receive placebo gel or testosterone gel, to be applied daily for 6 months. Adverse events were categorized with the use of the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities classification. The data and safety monitoring board recommended that the trial be discontinued early because there was a significantly higher rate of adverse cardiovascular events in the testosterone group than in the placebo group.

Results

A total of 209 men (mean age, 74 years) were enrolled at the time the trial was terminated. At baseline, there was a high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity among the participants. During the course of the study, the testosterone group had higher rates of cardiac, respiratory, and dermatologic events than did the placebo group. A total of 23 subjects in the testosterone group, as compared with 5 in the placebo group, had cardiovascular-related adverse events. The relative risk of a cardiovascular-related adverse event remained constant throughout the 6-month treatment period. As compared with the placebo group, the testosterone group had significantly greater improvements in leg-press and chest-press strength and in stair climbing while carrying a load.

Conclusions

In this population of older men with limitations in mobility and a high prevalence of chronic disease, the application of a testosterone gel was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular adverse events. The small size of the trial and the unique population prevent broader inferences from being made about the safety of testosterone therapy.

Context

Previous studies of testosterone supplementation in HIV-infected men failed to demonstrate improvement in muscle strength. The effects of resistance exercise combined with testosterone supplementation in HIV-infected men are unknown.

Objective

To determine the effects of testosterone replacement with and without resistance exercise on muscle strength and body composition in HIV-infected men with low testosterone levels and weight loss.

Design and Setting

Placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial conducted from September 1995 to July 1998 at a general clinical research center.

Participants

Sixty-one HIV-infected men aged 18 to 50 years with serum testosterone levels of less than 12.1 nmol/L (349 ng/dL) and weight loss of 5% or more in the previous 6 months, 49 of whom completed the study.

Interventions

Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: placebo, no exercise (n = 14); testosterone enanthate (100 mg/wk intramuscularly), no exercise (n = 17); placebo and exercise (n = 15); or testosterone and exercise (n = 15). Treatment duration was 16 weeks.

Main Outcome Measures

Changes in muscle strength, body weight, thigh muscle volume, and lean body mass compared among the 4 treatment groups.

Results

Body weight increased significantly by 2.6 kg (P<.001) in men receiving testosterone alone and by 2.2 kg (P = .02) in men who exercised alone but did not change in men receiving placebo alone (−0.5 kg; P = .55) or testosterone and exercise (0.7 kg; P = .08). Men treated with testosterone alone, exercise alone, or both experienced significant increases in maximum voluntary muscle strength in leg press (range, 22%–30%), leg curls (range, 18%–36%), bench press (range, 19%–33%), and latissimus pulls (range, 17%–33%). Gains in strength in all exercise categories were greater in men assigned to the testosterone-exercise group or to the exercise-alone group than in those assigned to the placebo-alone group. There was a greater increase in thigh muscle volume in men receiving testosterone alone (mean change, 40 cm3; P<.001 vs zero change) or exercise alone (62 cm3; P = .003) than in men receiving placebo alone (5 cm3; P = .70). Average lean body mass increased by 2.3 kg (P = .004) and 2.6 kg (P<.001), respectively, in men who received testosterone alone or testosterone and exercise but did not change in men receiving placebo alone (0.9 kg; P = .21). Hemoglobin levels increased in men receiving testosterone but not in those receiving placebo.

Conclusion

Our data suggest that testosterone and resistance exercise promote gains in body weight, muscle mass, muscle strength, and lean body mass in HIV-infected men with weight loss and low testosterone levels. Testosterone and exercise together did not produce greater gains than either intervention alone.

Objectives

To determine whether objectively measured physical activity levels are associated with physical function and mobility in older men.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Academic research center.

Participants

Eighty-two community-dwelling men ≥ 65 years of age with self-reported mobility limitations were divided into a low activity and a high activity group based on the median average daily physical activity counts of the whole sample.

Measurements

Physical activity by triaxial accelerometers; physical function and mobility by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), gait speed, stair climb time, and a lift and lower task; aerobic capacity by maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max); and leg press and chest press maximal strength and peak power.

Results

Older men with higher compared to lower physical activity levels demonstrated a > 1.4 point higher mean SPPB score and a 0.35 m/s faster walking speed. They also climbed a standard flight of stairs 1.85 sec faster and completed 60% more shelves in a lift and lower task (all p < 0.01). Muscle strength and power measures, however, were not significantly different between the low and high activity group. Correlation analyses and multiple linear regression models showed that physical activity is positively associated with all physical function and mobility measures, leg press strength, and VO2max.

Conclusion

Older men with higher physical activity levels demonstrate better physical function and mobility than less active peers. Moreover, in older men physical activity levels are predictive of performance in measures of physical function and mobility. Future work is needed to determine whether modifications in physical activity levels can improve or preserve physical performance in later-life.

The TOM study is the first, single-site, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial designed to comprehensively determine the effects of testosterone administration on muscle strength and physical function in older men with mobility limitations. A total of 252 community dwelling individuals aged 65 and older with low testosterone levels and self-reported limitations in mobility and short physical performance battery (SPPB) score between 4 and 9 will be randomized to receive either placebo or testosterone therapy for 6 months. The primary objective is to determine whether testosterone therapy improves maximal voluntary muscle strength as quantified by the one repetition maximum. Secondary outcomes will include measures of physical function (walking, stair climbing and a lifting and lowering task), habitual physical activity and self-reported disability. The effects of testosterone on affect, fatigue and sense of well being will also be assessed. Unique aspects of the TOM Trial include selection of men with self-reported as well as objectively demonstrable functional limitations, community-based screening and recruitment, adjustment of testosterone dose to ensure serum testosterone levels in the target range while maintaining blinding, and inclusion of a range of self-reported and performance-based physical function measures as outcomes. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00240981.

Objectives

To compare the reliability of muscle strength and physical function measures in younger and older men.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Academic research center.

Participants

Thirty younger men, 31 older men and 39 older men with mobility limitations.

Measurements

Test-retest measures of 1-repetition maximum (1RM), unloaded and loaded 50m walk and stair climb, and a lift and lower task. Reliability was assessed by intra-class correlation (ICC) analysis and the Bland Altman (BA) method.

Results

Leg and chest press 1RM measures identified significant differences between the groups, exhibited excellent test-retest reliability in younger men, older men and older men with mobility limitations (ICCs = 0.946–0.994) and minimal bias between trial 1 and 2 (BA = improvement of 21.1 and 1.1N for leg and chest press, respectively). Test-retest measures of the time to walk 50m and climb 12 steps also demonstrated excellent agreement (ICCs = 0.980–0.988 and 0.942–992, respectively) and minimal bias (BA = 0.755–1.007 and 0.141–0.361 sec faster, respectively). When a subject repeated these measures carrying a modest load ICCs remained > 0.940, bias was similar and the tests better discriminated between the groups. The lift and lower measure demonstrated excellent agreement (ICCs = 0.925–0.947), minimal bias (1.4–2.9 more shelves) and revealed significant differences between groups.

Conclusion

Measures of muscle strength and physical function can be performed in younger men, older men and older men with mobility limitations with high reliability. In future clinical trials, more challenging measures of performance may better discriminate amongst higher functioning study participants.

OBJECTIVES:

To examine the effect of graded doses of testosterone on physical function (PF) and muscle performance in healthy, older men.

DESIGN:

Randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trial.

SETTING:

General Clinical Research Center

PARTICIPANTS:

Community-dwelling healthy older men aged 60-75 yr, N=44.

INTERVENTION:

Monthly treatment with a gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist plus 25, 50, 125, or 300 mg/wk testosterone enanthate IM for 20 weeks.

MEASUREMENTS:

Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) was estimated by DEXA. Leg press strength was measured by 1-RM, leg power by Nottingham Leg Rig, and muscle fatigability by repetitions to failure in the leg press exercise. Stair climbing, 6-m and 400-m walking speed, and a timed-up-and-go (TUG) were used to assess PF.

RESULTS:

Significant T dose- and concentration-dependent increases were observed in SMM (P<0.001) and maximal strength (P=0.001), but not muscle fatigability. Leg power also increased dose-dependently (P=0.048). In contrast, changes in self-selected normal and fast walking speed over 6-m or 400-m, stair climbing power, and time for the TUG were not significantly related to T-dose, T-concentrations, or changes in muscle strength or power, or SMM.

CONCLUSION:

Testosterone administration was associated with dose-dependent increases in SMM, leg strength and power, but did not improve muscle fatigability or physical function. The observation that physical function scores did not improve linearly with strength suggests that our high functioning older men were already in the asymptotic region of the curve describing the physical function – strength relationship.

SUMMARY

Several regulatory concerns have hindered development of androgens as anabolic therapies, despite unequivocal evidence that testosterone supplementation increases muscle mass and strength in men; it induces hypertrophy of type I and II muscle fibers, and increases myonuclear and satellite cell number. Androgens promote differentiation of mesenchymal multipotent cells into the myogenic lineage and inhibit their adipogenic differentiation, by facilitating association of androgen receptors with β-catenin and activating T-cell factor 4. Meta-analyses indicate that testosterone supplementation increases fat-free mass and muscle strength in HIV-positive men with weight loss, glucocorticoid-treated men, and older men with low or low-normal testosterone levels. The effects of testosterone on physical function and outcomes important to patients have not, however, been studied. In older men, increased hematocrit and increased risk of prostate biopsy and detection of prostate events are the most frequent, testosterone-related adverse events. Concerns about long-term risks have restrained enthusiasm for testosterone use as anabolic therapy. Selective androgen-receptor modulators that are preferentially anabolic and that spare the prostate hold promise as anabolic therapies. We need more studies to determine whether testosterone or selective androgen-receptor modulators can induce meaningful improvements in physical function and patient-important outcomes in patients with physical dysfunction associated with chronic illness or aging.