Washington, Oct 28 (IANS) Older men having higher levels of male hormone testosterone suffered less loss of lean muscle mass, especially those who were losing weight, scientists have found out.
Men lose more muscle mass and strength than women as they age, suggesting that sex steroids, testosterone in particular, may contribute to body composition and physical changes.
This study found that higher testosterone levels may help older men preserve muscle mass and delay frailty as they age, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reported.
‘Our study finds that men, aged 65 years and older, with higher testosterone levels lost less muscle mass, especially in their arms and legs, than men this age who had lower testosterone levels,’ said Erin LeBlanc, of Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Portland, who led the study.
‘Men who had higher testosterone levels before they lost weight also lost less leg function and could stand up more easily from a chair than men who had lower testosterone levels before they lost weight,’ LeBlanc said.
Researchers used data from 1,183 men aged 65 years or older and tested the hypothesis that higher baseline measures of sex steroids are associated with lesser declines in lean mass and maintenance of physical performance over an average follow-up of 4.5 years.
‘The amount of testosterone men have in their bodies may contribute to how much muscle and strength they lose as they get older,’ said LeBlanc.
