SOURCE-LINKED STUDY SUMMARY
Growth hormone and sex steroid administration in healthy aged women and men: a randomized controlled trial.
Abstract summarizedQuality not appraised
- What was studied
- A factorial randomized trial tested growth hormone, sex steroids, their combination, or placebo for body composition, strength, aerobic capacity, and adverse effects in healthy older adults.
- Who / model studied
- Participants were 57 women and 74 men aged 65–88 years who were healthy, ambulatory, and community dwelling.
- Studied dose & schedule
- For 26 weeks, participants received subcutaneous GH three times weekly, sex-specific estradiol/progestin or testosterone, both, or matching placebos.
- What the study found
- Lean mass rose most with combined therapy: 2.1 kg in women and 4.3 kg in men. Strength did not significantly improve except a marginal 13.5-kg increase in men receiving GH plus testosterone. Edema, carpal-tunnel symptoms, arthralgia, and glucose intolerance were increased in GH groups.
- Limitations & context
- Lean mass is not direct muscle-size measurement, functional gains were limited, and results in healthy older adults do not establish benefits for younger athletes.
Read summary source ↗ · Prepared 10/6/2026 · AI-assisted, source-based summary
Review record & corrections
Summary prepared: . Source scope: abstract. This is an AI-assisted source summary, not an independent clinician sign-off.
No public field-by-field revision history is available for this card yet. The date above is the summary date, not proof that every field was updated then.
Inspect the source · Correction policyResearch findings apply to the population and conditions studied. This educational summary is not a treatment recommendation or a formal assessment of study quality.
Original publication ↗ · DOI: 10.1001/jama.288.18.2282