Evidence mapPaperPMID 40569560Full record

SynthesisReviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders2025

Body mass index and body composition changes in transgender people undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ísis Gois, Felipe Behrends Rodrigues, Marcos Pereira, Magnus R Dias-da-Silva, Sávio Marcelino Gomes

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07481942 (Body Composition Adaptations Following Initiation of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy in Transgender Populations.), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07481942 completednot on this map

Body Composition Adaptations Following Initiation of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy in Transgender Populations.

TypeobservationalSponsorCelia BañulsRan2017 to 2025Enrolled70ConditionsTransgenderArmsgender affirming hormone therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Ísis GoisEndocrinology Division, Department of Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-2001-6803
Felipe Behrends RodriguesEndocrinology Division, Department of Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0001-7806-2875
Marcos PereiraInstitute of Public Health, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0003-3766-2502
Magnus R Dias-da-SilvaEndocrinology Division, Department of Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-8516-966X
Sávio Marcelino GomesDepartment of Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil. savio.gomes@academico.ufpb.br.ORCID 0000-0002-6320-2502

Funding

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 312746/2017-2Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior 88887.841876/2023-00
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) uses sex steroid hormones to induce desired physical changes, improving the quality of life of transgender individuals. While generally considered safe, its effects on body composition and adipose tissue remain a topic of debate. The aim of this review was to verify whether GAHT is associated with weight gain and body composition in transgender individuals. This is a systematic review with meta-analysis (April-September 2022, updated March 2025) following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, including cohort, case‒control, and clinical trial studies from four databases. The outcomes analyzed included body mass index (BMI), body fat (BF), lean mass (LM), and waist circumference (WC). Among the 1,896 identified studies, 29 were included in the systematic review, and 28 were included in the meta-analysis. GAHT increased BMI in assigned male at birth (AMAB) individuals (0.55 kg/m², 95% CI: 0.14-0.97) and assigned female at birth (AFAB) individuals (0.92 kg/m², 95% CI: 0.55-1.29). The AMAB participants presented a reduction in LM (-1.81 kg, 95% CI: -3.15, -0.47) and an increase in BF (4.27 kg, 95% CI: 3.15-5.39), whereas the AFAB individuals presented an increase in LM (4.98 kg, 95% CI: 4.06-5.91) and a decrease in BF (-2.13 kg, 95% CI: -3.52, -0.75). No significant changes in WC were observed in either group. According to the GRADE assessment, the certainty of evidence was moderate for BMI and low to very low for changes in waist circumference, lean mass, and fat mass. GAHT is associated with increased BMI and body composition changes. These alterations align with the expected outcomes for transgender individuals and do not appear to be directly linked to cardiovascular risks.

Indexed as

Body CompositionBody Mass IndexGender-Affirming ProceduresGonadal Steroid HormonesHormone Replacement TherapyTransgender PersonsFemaleHumansMaleGonadal Steroid HormonesBody compositionBody mass indexSystematic reviewTransgender persons

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.