Carbohydrate Metabolism of Patients Treated with Methyl Testosterone

Abstract

A decreased glucose tolerance was observed in patients treated for a period of wks. with large doses (80 to 200 mg. per day) of methyl testosterone. In all cases in which the B.M.R. was detd., this increased coincidentally with the lowered sugar tolerance, and liver glycogen stores (Mirsky phlorhizin technic) usually decreased. In some of the methyl testosterone cases the total glucose excreted was as great following phlorhizin inj. as in the controls, but a significant portion came from the body fluids as indicated by the decreased blood sugar at the end of the test. Hence decreased glucose excretion observed in some cases cannot be explained by a modification of the kidney tubules, as suggested by Winter and Belanger for the decreased glucose excretion of phlorhizinized testosterone treated rats. By increasing the carbohydrate intake, the modified sugar tolerance was sometimes brought to normal limits. Despite continued hormone adm.. the lowered glycogen stores were restored to the levels observed when no medication was being given. This effect on sugar tolerance is similar to that observed in some cases of hyperthyroidism.