Intramuscular testosterone moderately increased lumbar bone density in men ; the results on femoral neck bone density are inconclusive .
Without bone fracture data , the available trials offer weak and indirect inferences about the clinical efficacy of testosterone on osteoporosis prevention and treatment in men
CONTEXT And rogen-deficient men are at increased risk of osteoporosis .
The extent to which testosterone can prevent and treat osteoporosis in men remains unclear .
Alendronate for the treatment of osteoporosis in men.
BACKGROUND Despite its association with disability , death , and increased medical costs , osteoporosis in men has been relatively neglected as a subject of study . There have been no large , controlled trials of treatment in men . METHODS In a two-year double-blind trial , we studied the effect of 10 mg of alendronate or placebo , given daily , on bone mineral density in 241 men ( age , 31 to 87 years ; mean , 63 ) with osteoporosis . Approximately one third had low serum free testosterone concentrations at base line ; the rest had normal concentrations . Men with other secondary causes of osteoporosis were excluded . All the men received calcium and vitamin D supplements . The main outcome measures were the percent changes in lumbar-spine , hip , and total-body bone mineral density . RESULTS The men who received alendronate had a mean ( + /-SE ) increase in bone mineral density of 7.1+/-0.3 percent at the lumbar spine , 2.5+/-0.4 percent at the femoral neck , and 2.0+/-0.2 percent for the total body ( P<0.001 for all comparisons with base line ) . In contrast , men who received placebo had an increase in lumbar-spine bone mineral density of 1.8+/-0.5 percent ( P<0.001 for the comparison with base line ) and no significant changes in femoral-neck or total-body bone mineral density . The increase in bone mineral density in the alendronate group was greater than that in the placebo group at all measurement sites ( P<0.001 ) . The incidence of vertebral fractures was lower in the alendronate group than in the placebo group ( 0.8 percent vs. 7.1 percent , P=0.02 ) . Men in the placebo group had a 2.4-mm decrease in height , as compared with a decrease of 0.6 mm in the alendronate group ( P=0.02 ) . Alendronate was generally well tolerated . CONCLUSIONS In men with osteoporosis , alendronate significantly increases spine , hip , and total-body bone mineral density and helps prevent vertebral fractures and decreases in height
Intramuscular testosterone moderately increased lumbar bone density in men ; the results on femoral neck bone density are inconclusive .
Without bone fracture data , the available trials offer weak and indirect inferences about the clinical efficacy of testosterone on osteoporosis prevention and treatment in men
CONTEXT And rogen-deficient men are at increased risk of osteoporosis .
The extent to which testosterone can prevent and treat osteoporosis in men remains unclear .