Methyl Testosterone IV. Observations on the Hypermetabolism Induced by Methyl Testosterone1

A RISE IN THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE has been reported to occur in human subjects receiving testosterone propionate by Kenyon et al. (1, 2, 3), Thompson and Heckel (4), and Eidelsberg and Ornstein (5). Kochakian and Murlin found a slight increase in energy metabolism of a castrated dog treated with testosterone propionate (6), but failed to corroborate this in subsequent studies (7, 8). McCullagh (9), Byron and Katzen (10), and McCullagh and Rossmiller (11) found an increase to occur in the B.M.R. of patients receiving methyl testosterone orally. The 10 patients studied by McCullagh and Rossmiller (11) showed increases in B.M.R. ranging from 12 to 54% of normal. This paper deals with additional studies on 5 of these patients, and on 6 others in whom a similar metabolic increase was induced by methyl testosterone. Studies have been made, with and without therapy, on the blcod cholesterol, blood iodine, respiratory quotient, circulation time, the nitrogen balance and urinary excretion of various electrolytes.