THE EFFECTS OF TESTOSTERONE AND ACTONEL ON BONE DENSITY IN ANOREXIA NERVOSA

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that can cause thinning of the bones (a decrease in bone density). A significant decrease in bone density is called osteopenia or osteoporosis. Sometimes the loss of bone density can be severe enough to cause breaks and fractures of the bones. It is not known what causes the bones to thin in anorexia nervosa. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effects of two different medications, physiologic testosterone replacement and risedronate, on bone density in subjects with anorexia nervosa. Testosterone is a hormone that is made by the ovaries and adrenal glands in both women and men and has been shown to be important for prevention of osteoporosis and maintenance of muscle mass in men. Testosterone has been shown to stimulate bone forming cells called osteoblasts, and to increase bone formation and bone density in post-menopausal women, but its effects on bone formation or bone density in women with anorexia nervosa are not known. Actonel is a medication that is prescribed for low bone density to postmenopausal women.