July 2012 in “The Journal of Urology” Testosterone increases muscle mass regardless of DHT conversion blocking.
31 citations
,
January 2017 in “Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology” Low testosterone and 5α-reductase inhibitors can harm men's metabolic and sexual health; testosterone therapy may help, but discussing 5α-RIs' side effects is important.
Thicker scalp fat may link hair loss with metabolic syndrome.
124 citations
,
March 2012 in “JAMA” Testosterone's muscle-building effects do not require its conversion to DHT.
506 citations
,
March 2005 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Testosterone therapy improves physical function, strength, and body composition in older men with low testosterone levels.
October 2025 in “Journal of the Endocrine Society” Low estrogen due to poor nutrition can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
18 citations
,
December 2010 in “The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology” Increased HSD11B1 enzyme expression is linked to higher body fat and insulin resistance.
29 citations
,
October 2020 in “eLife” Higher testosterone levels can increase the risk of certain diseases like type 2 diabetes in women and prostate cancer in men, but can also protect against autoimmune diseases and hair loss. It also affects body fat and bone density.
June 2017 in “Jurnal Biomedik : JBM” Broiler chicken meat extract increases body weight, visceral fat, and hair production in young male Wistar rats.
92 citations
,
November 2003 in “The Journals of Gerontology” Testosterone supplements can increase muscle mass and strength in older men with low levels, but long-term effects and risks need more research.
105 citations
,
June 2010 in “The journal of sexual medicine” Testosterone undecanoate increases lean mass and causes various physical changes in female-to-male transsexuals.
December 2010 in “TSpace” Activating androgen receptors in muscle can increase muscle mass and reduce fat.
90 citations
,
February 2013 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Women with PCOS have more body fat and thicker fat layers in certain abdominal areas than women without PCOS.
October 2018 in “Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology” Children with classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia have thicker heart fat and more heart and blood vessel risk factors, especially if their condition is not well-controlled.
July 2023 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Gender-affirming hormone therapy improves physical performance in trans men to the level of cisgender men, while in trans women, it increases fat mass and decreases muscle mass, with no advantage in physical performance after 2 years.
72 citations
,
October 1998 in “Baillière's clinical endocrinology and metabolism” Long-term testosterone therapy can cause hormone suppression, affect prostate and heart health, and alter physical characteristics, but does not increase prostate cancer risk and needs more research for full risk assessment.
November 2025 in “Medicina” Alopecia areata may be linked to changes in body fat but not to heart or artery issues.
November 2003 in “Aap Grand Rounds” Low-dose flutamide-metformin therapy effectively improved PCOS symptoms in adolescent girls.
December 2024 in “Frontiers in Neurology” Testosterone with finasteride improved muscle and bone health in men with spinal cord injury.
4 citations
,
June 2021 in “Applied Sciences” Women with PCOS have higher body fat and worse insulin resistance and lipid profiles.
February 2026 in “British Journal of Sports Medicine” Transgender women have similar fitness to cisgender women, while transgender men have higher fat and lower strength than cisgender men; hormone therapy affects body composition and strength.
10 citations
,
February 2017 in “Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation” Metformin effectively improves metabolic symptoms in women with PCOS, while alfacalcidiol does not have a significant impact.
1 citations
,
January 2017 in “Journal of rare disease research & treatment” Obesity is common in PCOS patients and early treatment is important for their heart and metabolic health.
37 citations
,
June 2011 in “Journal of Cellular Biochemistry” Androgen is important in controlling stem cell differentiation, reducing fat development, and increasing lean mass.
April 2019 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Removing REDD1 in mice increases skin fat by making fat cells larger and more numerous.
20 citations
,
October 2008 in “European journal of endocrinology” Lower lipin 1β in belly fat is linked to insulin resistance in people with polycystic ovary syndrome.
14 citations
,
August 2014 in “Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism” A low-starch/low-dairy diet may help overweight women with PCOS lose weight and improve metabolism, but more research is needed.
April 2018 in “Gynäkologische Endokrinologie” Testosterone in older women can increase bone density, muscle mass, fat mass, improve memory, and boost libido, but may cause nipple color changes.
14 citations
,
May 2013 in “American Journal of Physiology-endocrinology and Metabolism” Removing myelin protein zero-like 3 in mice leads to better metabolism and resistance to obesity.
21 citations
,
April 2011 in “Physiological Research” Normal levels of DHT can reduce belly fat and increase muscle, but too much can lead to hair loss, prostate issues, and possibly heart disease.