Table 1.
Evidence from available RCTs in support of the provided recommendations
| Characteristics of study population | Outcome | Number of available RCTs | Number of enrolled subjects | Mean duration of RCT months (range) | Summary of observed effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body composition (for additional data see references [1–15]) | |||||
| MetS or T2DM | Waist circumference | 6 | 701 | 10.7 [2.7–24] | ↓ |
| Metabolically unclassified | Waist circumference | 3 | 172 | 6.6 [3–11] | ↔ |
| MetS or T2DM | BMI | 8 | 773 | 8.8 [2.7–24] | ↔ |
| Metabolically unclassified | BMI | 5 | 307 | 11.2 [3–24] | ↔ |
| MetS or T2DM | Body fat | 5 | 379 | 10.7 [3–24] | ↓ |
| Metabolically unclassified | Body fat | 10 | 1,513 | 11 [3–36] | ↓ |
| MetS or T2DM | Body lean | 4 | 174 | 10.4 [2.7–24] | ↑ |
| Metabolically unclassified | Body lean | 9 | 1,491 | 10.8 [3–36] | ↑ |
| Metabolism (for additional data see references [1–15]) | |||||
| MetS or T2DM | Glycaemia | 7 | 725 | 9.6 [2.7–24] | ↔ |
| Metabolically unclassified | Glycaemia | 5 | 324 | 9.4 [3–24] | ↔ |
| MetS or T2DM | Glycated haemoglobin | 6 | 555 | 10 [2.7–24] | ↓ |
| MetS or T2DM | Total cholesterol | 7 | 725 | 9.6 [2.7–24] | ↔ |
| Metabolically unclassified | Total cholesterol | 9 | 490 | 11.7 [1–36] | ↓ |
| MetS or T2DM | HDL cholesterol | 7 | 725 | 9.6 [2.7–24] | ↔ |
| Metabolically unclassified | HDL cholesterol | 10 | 546 | 13 [1–36] | ↔ |
| MetS or T2DM | LDL cholesterol | 5 | 633 | 6.2 [2.7–12] | ↔ |
| Metabolically unclassified | LDL cholesterol | 8 | 464 | 15.5 [1–36] | ↓ |
| MetS or T2DM | Triglycerides | 7 | 725 | 9.6 [2.7–24] | ↔ |
| Metabolically unclassified | Triglycerides | 8 | 380 | 8.7 [1–36] | ↓ |
| Bone density (for additional data see references [16–24]) | |||||
| Healthy men | Lumbar and femoral bone mineral density | 2 | 41 | 12–36 | ↑ lumbar ↑ femoral |
| History of fracture or T-score <−2.0 and frailty | Lumbar, femoral and radius bone mineral density | 1 | 53 | 12 | ↑ lumbar ↓ radius |
| Sexual function (for additional data see references [35–41]) | |||||
| Young to middle-aged men with sexual dysfunction | Libido | 17 | 1,111 | 3 months (1–12) | ↑ (if T < 8 nM/L) |
| Young to middle-aged men with sexual dysfunction | Sexual related erections | 24 | 1,431 | 3 months (1–12) | ↑ (if T < 12 nM/L) |
| Young to middle-aged men with sexual dysfunction | Orgasmic function | 10 | 677 | 3 months (1–12) | ↑ (if T < 12 nM/L) |
| Prostate gland (for additional data see references [6, 9, 10, 23, 49–55]) | |||||
| Middle-aged to aged men with hypogonadism | Serum PSA | 6 | 286 | 16.5 [3–36] | ↔ |
| Men with hypogonadism (unspecified age or wide age range) | Serum PSA | 10 | 461 | 6 [3–12] | ↔ |
| Middle-aged men with hypogonadism | Prostate volume or prostate-related symptoms (DRE and evaluation of low urinary tract function) | 7 | 256 | 10 [3–36] | ↔ |
| Men with hypogonadism and prostate cancer | Serum PSA, prostate volume or symptoms (urine flow rate, voiding symptoms, prostate biopsy) | 1 | 21 | 6 | ↔ |
| Men with hypogonadism and diabetes mellitus type 2 or Metabolic syndrome | Serum PSA, Prostate volume, IPSS | 3 | 239 | 10 [7–12] | ↔ |
| Other parameters (for additional data see references [1, 42–48] | |||||
| Major depression | Improvement of depressive symptoms | 5 | 210 | 7.6 (6–12) | ↑ |
| HIV/AIDS | Improvement of lean mass | 2 | 82 | 21 (16–26) | ↑ |
↔ no modification or conflicting results after TS; ↑ increased during TS; ↓ decreased during TS