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Value of measuring muscle performance to assess changes in lean mass with testosterone and growth hormone supplementation

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Abstract

We hypothesized that treatment with testosterone (T) and recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) would increase lean mass (LM) and muscle strength proportionally and an in a linear manner over 16 weeks. This was a multicenter, randomized, controlled, double-masked investigation of T and rhGH supplementation in older (71 ± 4 years) community-dwelling men. Participants received transdermal T at either 5 or 10 g/day as well as rhGH at 0, 3.0 or 5.0 μg/kg/day for 16 weeks. Body composition was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and muscle performance by composite one-repetition maximum (1-RM) strength and strength per unit of lean mass (muscle quality, MQ) for five major muscle groups (upper and lower body) at baseline, week 8 and 17. The average change in total LM at study week 8 compared with baseline was 1.50 ± 1.54 kg (P < 0.0001) in the T only group and 2.64 ± 1.7 (P < 0.0001) in the T + rhGH group and at week 17 was 1.46 ± 1.48 kg (P < 0.0001) in the T only group and 2.14 ± 1.96 kg (P < 0.0001) in the T + rhGH group. 1-RM strength improved modestly in both groups combined (12.0 ± 23.9%, P < 0.0001) at week 8 but at week 17 these changes were twofold greater (24.7 ± 31.0%, P < 0.0001). MQ did not significantly change from baseline to week 8 but increased for the entire cohort, T only, and T + rhGH groups by week 17 (P < 0.001). Despite sizeable increases in LM measurements at week 8, tests of muscle performance did not show substantive improvements at this time point.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the volunteer participants who committed substantial time and efforts to make this study successful. Support for this trial was provided in part from the National Institutes of Health R01 AG18169 and local NCRR GCRC M0I RR000043 at USC, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) ARS Cooperative Agreement 58-1950-9-001, the NCRR GCRC grant M01 RR000054 at Tufts University, where any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the USDA, and the NCRR GCRC at Washington University School of Medicine (M01 RR000036), the Mass Spectrometry Research Resource at Washington University (NIH RR000954, DK020579, and DK056341), and NIH grants U01AG14369 and 1R01DK70534 at Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine. Study therapies were provided by Solvay Pharmaceuticals Inc, Genentech Inc, and TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc; industry sponsors provided no monetary support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biokinesiology and PT, University of Southern California, 1540 East Alcazar St. CHP-155, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA

    E. Todd Schroeder, Christina M. Dieli-Conwright & Fred R. Sattler

  2. Department of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    E. Todd Schroeder & Fred R. Sattler

  3. Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA

    Carmen Castaneda-Sceppa & Ronenn Roubenoff

  4. Department of Medicine, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Kevin E. Yarasheski & Ellen F. Binder

  5. Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Jiaxiu He, Miwa Kawakubo & Stanley P. Azen

  6. Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Shalender Bhasin

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  1. E. Todd Schroeder
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  2. Jiaxiu He
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  4. Ellen F. Binder
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  7. Christina M. Dieli-Conwright
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  8. Miwa Kawakubo
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  9. Ronenn Roubenoff
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  10. Stanley P. Azen
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  11. Fred R. Sattler
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. Todd Schroeder.

Additional information

Communicated by William J. Kraemer.

National Clinical Trials Number: NCT00183040.

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Schroeder, E.T., He, J., Yarasheski, K.E. et al. Value of measuring muscle performance to assess changes in lean mass with testosterone and growth hormone supplementation. Eur J Appl Physiol 112, 1123–1131 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2077-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-011-2077-y

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