Testosterone's Role in Fitness for Those With Spinal Cord Injury

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A study in The Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism has evaluated the efficacy and safety of testosterone as part of a home-based intervention for spinal cord injury (SCI).

The intervention added either testosterone or placebo to a combination of functional electrical stimulation-assisted leg cycling (FES-LC) and arm ergometry (AE).

This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial enrolled 84 adults (76 males and 8 females) ages 19-70 years with SCI. Participants were randomized and underwent each intervention for 16 weeks.

Study first author Kieran Reid, PhD, MPH, is director of the Laboratory of Exercise Physiology and Physical Performance and director of research innovation in aging at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts, as well as an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Reid spoke with the Reading Room about the study and its findings; the exchange is edited for length and clarity.