AS won't cut you up? Read this..

[Ajax]

OK, Methuselah, let's get a dialogue going here! heh, heh!

The study you quoted referenced a further study by Katznelson et. al as noting that Testosterone therapy resulted in decreased body fat; well I did a little searching and found the study, here's the abstract:

J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996 Dec;81(12):4358-65

Increase in bone density and lean body mass during testosterone administration in men with acquired hypogonadism.

Katznelson L, Finkelstein JS, Schoenfeld DA, Rosenthal DI, Anderson EJ, Klibanski A.

Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114, USA.

Acquired hypogonadism is being increasingly recognized in adult men. However, the effects of long term testosterone replacement on bone density and body composition are largely unknown. We investigated 36 adult men with acquired hypogonadism (age, 22-69 yr; median, 58 yr), including 29 men with central hypogonadism and 7 men with primary hypogonadism, and 44 age-matched eugonadal controls. Baseline evaluation included body composition analysis by bioimpedance, determination of site-specific adipose area by dual energy quantitative computed tomography scan (QCT) of the lumbar spine, and measurements of spinal bone mineral density (BMD) using dual energy x-ray absortiometry, spinal trabecular BMD with QCT, and radial BMD with single photon absorptiometry. Percent body fat was significantly greater in the hypogonadal men compared to eugonadal men (mean +/- SEM, 26.4 +/- 1.1% vs. 19.2 +/- 0.8%; P < 0.01). The mean trabecular BMD determined by QCT for the hypogonadal men was 115 +/- 6 mg K2HPO4/cc. Spinal BMD was significantly lower than that in eugonadal controls (1.006 +/- 0.024 vs. 1.109 +/- 0.028 g/cm2; P = 0.02, respectively). Radial BMD was similar in both groups. Testosterone enanthate therapy was initiated in 29 hypogonadal men at a dose of 100 mg/week, and the subjects were evaluated at 6-month intervals for 18 months. During testosterone therapy, the percent body fat decreased 14 +/- 4% (P < 0.001). There was a 13 +/- 4% decrease in subcutaneous fat (P < 0.01) and a 7 +/- 2% increase in lean muscle mass (P = 0.01) during testosterone therapy. Spinal BMD and trabecular BMD increased by 5 +/- 1% (P < 0.001) and 14 +/- 3% (P < 0.001), respectively. Radial BMD did not change. Serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and urinary deoxypyridinoline excretion, markers of bone formation and resorption, respectively, decreased significantly over the 18 months (P = 0.003 and P = 0.04, respectively). We conclude that testosterone therapy given to adult men with acquired hypogonadism decreases sc fat and increases lean muscle mass. In addition, testosterone therapy reduces bone remodeling and increases trabecular bone density. The beneficial effects of androgen administration on body composition and bone density may provide additional indications for testosterone therapy in hypogonadal men.

OK, so using Testosterone decreases fat--at least for men with hypogonadism (decreased testicular function) that were, on average, 50+ years old. Also, the study was conducted over a period of 18 months.

So there is a link FOR SOME MEN between Test. and fat loss; but was the fat loss a direct result of the Test. or was it caused indirectly by changes in lifestyle brough about by the Testosterone? For example: did the testosterone increase muscle strength therefore allowing for more physical activity, thus burning off more calories? Did the ability for these guys to 'get a woody' more frequently cause them to start to watch their waistline 'cuz they had new found hopes of getting laid?

So even if there is a correlation between fat loss and Test.., the fat loss might not be caused directly by the Test.

As for the Cenegenics study, it's NOT a study submitted to a journal for peer review, it's an in-house study for Cenegenics, by their own people, on their patients--a study that they are using to promote the effectiveness of their own program.

That does not make the 'study' false, but it does mean there are confilting motives; the better the results they get, the more clients they can sign on to their program. And again, this was a long-term study where the fat loss might have been a result of lifestyle changes and not directly attributable to any action by the testosterone.

(BTW, did you see the pices they charge? Damn! A few thousand US$ just for the 'screening and evaluation' Youch!)

So do AS cause fat loss? Well, possibly; but the link seems to be less than direct. If you look at something like T3 or Clenbuterol, they have a very direct effect of fat loss--they signal the body to burn fat. However AS seem to lead to lifestyle changes (or an increase in LBM) that leads to fat loss; not the AS causing fat to be burned.

And that leads me to another topic: we hear a lot about scientific studies about the negative side effects of AS; people are quick to throw that is our face. But what about the long-term benefits? Could it be possible that the benefits outweigh the negative and what we are doing might be, on the whole, beneficial for us? Hmmm. That's a thread right there!