Emily E. Howard

Area of research

Cell Biology · Rehabilitation

Research interest

Research topics from publications: Testosterone supplementation upregulates androgen receptor expression and translational capacity during severe energy deficit; Effects of Testosterone on Mixed-Muscle Protein Synthesis and Proteome Dynamics During Energy Deficit; Metabolic Adaptations and Substrate Oxidation are Unaffected by Exogenous Testosterone Administration during Energy Deficit in Men; Testosterone Supplementation Upregulates Myogenesis And Attenuates Proteolytic Gene Expression During Severe Energy Deficit. Representative work: Testosterone supplementation during energy deficit promotes whole body lean mass accretion, but the mechanisms underlying that effect remain unclear. To elucidate those mechanisms, skeletal muscle molecular adaptations were assessed from muscle biopsies collected before, 1 h, and 6 h after exercise and a mixed meal (40 g protein, 1 h postexercise) following 14 days of weight maintenance (WM) and 28 days of an exercise- and diet-induced 55% energy deficit (ED) in 50 physically active nonobese men treated with 200 mg testosterone enanthate/wk (TEST) or placebo (PLA) during the ED. Participants ( n = 10/group) exhibiting substantial increases in leg lean mass and total testosterone (TEST) were CONTEXT: Effects of testosterone on integrated muscle protein metabolism and muscle mass during energy deficit are undetermined. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine the effects of testosterone on mixed-muscle protein synthesis (MPS), proteome-wide fractional synthesis rates (FSR), and skeletal muscle mass during energy deficit. DESIGN: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: The study was conducted at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty healthy men. INTERVENTION: The study consisted of 14 days of weight maintenance, followed by a 28-day 55% energy deficit with 200 mg testosterone enanthate (TEST, n = 24) or placebo (PLA, n = 26) we