Relations of endogenous anabolic hormones and physical activity to bone mineral density and lean body mass in elderly men

Abstract

OBJECTIVES It has been proposed that declining activities of the somatotrophic or gonadotrophic axes, or sedentary life style, are partial causes for geriatric losses of bone mineral density (BMD) and of lean body mass (LBM). The present study tested these hypotheses by determining, in both free‐living and institutionalized elderly men, the correlations of bone mineral density (BMD), total body bone mineral content (TBBMC) and lean body mass (LBM) with the following predictor variables: age, body mass index, body weight, serum insulin‐like growth factor I (IGF‐I), serum testosterone, habitual physical activity and mobility. SUBJECTS Forty‐nine independent, community‐dwelling older men, and 49 men of similar age residing in two Veterans Administration extended care facilities. The age range was 58–95 years. MEASUREMENTS Serum IGF‐I and testosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay. Habitual physical activity in the independent men and mobility in the institutionalized men were estimated by standard instruments. LBM and bone status at nine skeletal sites were determined by dual X‐ray absorptiometry. RESULTS The BMD and TBBMC values of the free living men were 4–20% higher than those of the institutionalized men. In the independent old men, serum testosterone was the strongest predictor of BMD and TBBMC, while age was the only predictor of LBM. In the chronically institutionalized men, age, body weight and immobility were the strongest predictors of body composition, and testosterone was correlated only with femoral neck BMD. CONCLUSIONS In aging independent men, low levels of testosterone are associated with demineralization of the skeleton. Immobility and under‐weight are associated with the osteopenia of old men residing in nursing homes. In this cross‐sectional study of elderly men, there was no evidence of a relation of the somatotrophic axis to bone status or LBM, or of the gonadotrophic axis to LBM.