Testosterone Levels Increase for Obese Teen Males After Bariatric Surgery

FRIDAY, Feb. 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- For adolescent males with severe obesity, bariatric surgery is associated with an increase in testosterone concentrations, according to a study published online Feb. 1 in the European Journal of Endocrinology.

Sandeep Dhindsa, M.D., from the University at Buffalo in New York, and colleagues examined changes in sex hormones in 34 adolescent males (age, 14.6 to 19.8 years) with obesity who underwent bariatric surgery and were followed for five years after surgery.

The researchers found that study participants lost one-third of their body weight after bariatric surgery; for most participants, maximum weight loss was achieved at 24 months. There was an increase in free testosterone, from 0.17 nmol/L at baseline to 0.34 and 0.27 nmol/L at two and five years, respectively. Increases were also seen in total testosterone, from 6.7 nmol/L at baseline to 17.6 and 13.8 nmol/L at two and five years, respectively. Seventy-three percent of participants had subnormal free testosterone prior to surgery; only 20 and 33 percent had subnormal free testosterone at two and five years, respectively. There was an association noted for weight regain and a decrease in free testosterone concentration.

"It is remarkable that testosterone levels more than doubled and in fact normalized in most adolescent boys who underwent bariatric surgery, and this was maintained up to five years," a coauthor said in a statement. "This testosterone response was greater than that expected in adults undergoing these same operations and adds to the growing list of benefits of using bariatric surgery in teenagers with severe obesity."

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