As the field of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) evolves, research into how this type of treatment affects metabolism is needed to continually improve healthcare for transgender individuals.

Twenty transgender men and 15 transgender women participated in the study. GAHT was administered independently of the study, so there was variation in the treatment regimens within each group. Before GAHT began, the researchers used magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the ratio of abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) to abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in each participant. The investigators also used magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine lipid content within the participants’ hearts, livers and pancreases. In addition, the investigators measured blood cholesterol and performed anthropometric measurements. Each of these procedures was repeated 6 months after GAHT began.