Changes in soft tissue body composition and plasma lipid metabolism during nandrolone decanoate therapy in postmenopausal osteoporotic women.

Thirty-nine osteoporotic (prior spine or Colles' fracture) but otherwise healthy postmenopausal women were allocated to receive blindly either 50 mg nandrolone decanoate (ND) intramuscularly or placebo injections every 3 weeks for 1 year. Thirty-six women (92%) completed the study. ND treatment resulted in an increase in non-osseous lean weight and a corresponding decrease in fat mass (measured by dual photon absorptiometry). A 20% increase in the 24-hour urinary creatinine excretion indicated that the increase in non-osseous lean weight was caused mainly by an increase in muscle mass. With regard to serum lipids and lipoproteins, ND treatment slightly decreased high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol without significantly affecting total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol or triglycerides. In conclusion, treatment with ND changes the soft tissue composition in osteoporotic postmenopausal women towards a leaner and more muscular body.