Study Design: Cross-sectional study Objective To establish the association between serum testosterone (T) levels, biomarkers of cardiometabolic health and regional body composition variables after spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: Medical research center Methods Metabolic and body composition measurements were collected from thirty-six men with chronic motor complete SCI. Serum T, carbohydrate and lipid profiles were measured after an overnight fast. Body composition was measured using anthropometrics, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and magnetic resonance imaging. Participants were evenly classified into tertiles based on their serum T levels into low, mid-normal and normal ranges. Results Low, mid-normal and normal range serum T were 288.8 ± 84.9ng/dL, 461.0 ± 52.5ng/dL and 648.0 ± 53.5ng/dL, respectively. Low range serum T group had greater total (9.6%, P = 0.04) percentage fat mass and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area (72%, P = 0.01) compared to normal range serum T group. Serum T was related to the absolute whole thigh muscle area ( r = 0.40, P< 0.05) after controlling for body mass index. Serum T was negatively related to fasting plasma glucose ( r = −0.46, P = 0.006) and insulin ( r = −0.42, P = 0.01), HbA1c ( r = −0.39, P = 0.02) and triglycerides ( r = −0.36, P = 0.03). Conclusion Men with low serum T have more unfavorable body composition and cardiometabolic health outcomes after SCI. Testosterone replacement therapy may serve as a potential strategy in preventing cardiometabolic disorders after SCI.

Trunk muscle CSAs normalized to total trunk CSA were negatively associated with central adiposity. Both trunk muscles and dietary macro-nutrients are related to markers of metabolic health. The study highlights the significance of developing an exercise intervention with a healthy dietary regimen to attenuate the development of central adiposity associated metabolic disorders after SCI.

Study design: Secondary analysis of a clinical trial Objectives: To perform a secondary analysis on the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation resistance training (RT) combined with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) compared to TRT on the untrained muscles after spinal cord injury (SCI). Users may view, print, copy, and download text and data-mine the content in such documents, for the purposes of academic research, subject always to the full Conditions of use: