AirDriePhysiotherapy

Older men with low testosterone levels would be relatively more likely to become frail than those with normal hormone levels, according to a new study.

A study of more than 3,600 Australians aged 70 years found that those with low testosterone tend to become more fragile over the years.

The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, add to evidence linking testosterone loss with health problems in older people. But it is not known what can be done.

“It is too early to recommend hormone therapy,” he told Reuters Health Zoe Hyde of the University of Western Australia in Perth.

“We need larger studies to see if testosterone can prevent or treat frailty and evaluate the benefits and risks of therapy,” he said.

Testosterone helps men to maintain bone density, muscle mass and strength, and the production of red blood cells.

Their levels naturally decline with age and previous studies have linked low levels in older men with diabetes, depression, broken bones and even a reduction in life expectancy.

But so far, the investigations reached conflicting results as to whether the uses of testosterone in older men improve their physical performance.

Some have found that testosterone, oral or skin patch, for example, increases muscle mass in these men and reduces body fat, but without improving mobility, strength or overall performance.

Hyde’s team assessed the fragility and testosterone levels in 3616 men between 70 and 88 years and could reevaluate 1586 between four and seven years later.

In the first evaluation, 15 percent were fragile, that is, had at least three of five signs of deteriorating health: chronic fatigue, difficulty climbing stairs without pause, difficulty walking more than a block, more than five major diseases such as diabetes, heart problems or arthritis, or unintentional loss of more than 5 percent weight in years.

In general, men had a testosterone level below the average of the participants tended to be more fragile.

However, the results do not prove that the depressed level of testosterone cause fragility.

“We can never be certain of causality,” said Hyde. Men with certain diseases would suffer a reduction of testosterone before symptoms appear.