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Sydney: Ageing,
surprisingly, may have little to do with a gradual drop in
testosterone levels, but is more likely to result from a man's
behavioural and health changes, says a new study.
"It is critical that doctors understand that declining
testosterone levels are not a natural part of aging and that they
are most likely due to health-related behaviours or health status
itself," said study co-author Gary Wittert, professor of medicine
at the University of Adelaide, Australia.
"Men who had declines in testosterone were more likely to be those
who became obese, had stopped smoking or were depressed at either
clinic visit," Wittert said.
"While stopping smoking may be a cause of a slight decrease in
testosterone, the benefit of quitting smoking is huge," added
Wittert. This hormone is important for many bodily functions,
including maintaining a healthy body composition, fertility and
sex drive.
Few population-based studies have tracked changes in testosterone
levels among the same men over time, as their study did, Wittert
said, according to an Aadelaide statement.
Wittert and his co-authors analysed testosterone measurements in
more than 1,500 men recorded at two clinic visits five years
apart. All blood testosterone samples underwent testing at the
same time for each time point, said Wittert.
Researchers included 1,382 men in the data analysis, aged between
35 and 80 years, averaging 54 years, after screening out those who
were taking medicines or had medical conditions known to affect
hormones.
On average, testosterone levels did not decline significantly over
five years; rather, they decreased less than one percent each
year, the authors reported. However, when the investigators
analysed the data by subgroups, they found that certain factors
were linked to lower testosterone levels at five years than at the
beginning of the study.
Unmarried men in the study had greater testosterone reductions
than did married men. Wittert attributed this finding to past
research showing that married men tend to be healthier and happier
than unmarried men. "Also, regular sexual activity tends to
increase testosterone," he explained.
These results will be presented Monday at the Endocrine Society's
94th annual meeting in Houston, US.
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