New Delhi, November 28, 2024 (Navroj Bureau) – Long-term sex hormone treatment in transgender individuals can lead to significant changes in body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors, particularly in transgender men, a study found Thursday.
Hormone therapy is a gender-affirming medical treatment that can help transgender people align their bodies with their gender identity.
The study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, showed that long-term use of hormone therapy caused changes in fat mass over time, with the greatest changes in muscle mass and strength occurring after only one year of treatment.
Research from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden followed 17 adult transgender men and 16 transgender women who were prescribed treatment with testosterone and estrogen, respectively.
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) they mapped body composition and also measured metabolic risk factors through blood tests, blood pressure, and arterial stiffness.
Scans were conducted before starting hormone therapy, one year later and again five to six years later to assess the difference.
Tommy Lundberg of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Karolinska said that transgender men treated with testosterone increased their muscle mass by an average of 21 percent over six years.