Low Sex Hormone Levels Linked To Reduced Bone Mass In Aging Men

Low bone mass is common in women after menopause. While less publicized, older men also lose bone density, particularly if they have abnormally low levels of sex hormones. In a study of nearly 1,200 adult men, William Nelson and colleagues from Johns
Hopkins School of Medicine found that those with the lowest levels of free estrogen (biologically active form of the hormone) were 70 percent more likely than normal to have reduced bone density.

The risk was 400 percent greater in men with the lowest testosterone levels. Lower levels of serum-hormone-binding globulin provided protection against loss of bone mass in aging men. This study showed that older men are not immune to the negative health consequences of falling sex hormone levels.
(Clinical Endocrinology, 70: 26-34, 2009)



Low Testosterone Levels Linked To Poor Metabolic Health
Testosterone and the biologically available free testosterone decrease gradually after age 30. Low levels of these hormones are linked to muscle and bone loss, erectile dysfunction, decreased sex drive, psychological depression and reduced self-esteem. A review of literature by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine concluded that low testosterone contributed to the Metabolic Syndrome– a group of symptoms that include high blood pressure, abdominal fat deposition, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, blood clotting abnormalities and inflammation.

The Metabolic Syndrome increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, obesity, erectile dysfunction, poor energy levels and some types of cancer. The measurement of blood testosterone levels should be a routine part of medical examinations in aging men. (Journal Andrology, 30:10-22; 23-32, 2009)