Cohort Profile: The European Male Ageing Study

Objective: Health and lifestyle factors are associated with variations in serum testosterone levels in ageing men. However, it remains unclear how age-related changes in testosterone may be attenuated by lifestyle modifications. The objective was to investigate the longitudinal relationships between changes in health and lifestyle factors with changes in hormones of the reproductive endocrine axis in ageing men. Design: A longitudinal survey of 2736 community-dwelling men aged 40-79 years at baseline recruited from eight centres across Europe. Follow-up assessment occurred mean (GS.D.) 4.4G0.3 years later. Results: Paired testosterone results were available for 2395 men. Mean (GS.D.) annualised hormone changes were as follows: testosterone K0.1G0.95 nmol/l; free testosterone (FT) K3.83 G16.8 pmol/l; sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) 0.56G2.5 nmol/l and LH 0.08G0.57 U/l. Weight loss was associated with a proportional increase, and weight gain a proportional decrease, in testosterone and SHBG. FT showed a curvilinear relationship to weight change; only those who gained or lost R15% of weight showed a significant change (in the same direction as testosterone). Smoking cessation was associated with a greater decline in testosterone than being a non-smoker, which was unrelated to weight change. Changes in number of comorbid conditions or physical activity were not associated with significant alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (HPT) axis function. Conclusions: Body weight and lifestyle factors influence HPT axis function in ageing. Weight loss was associated with a rise, and weight gain a fall, in testosterone, FT and SHBG. Weight management appears to be important in maintaining circulating testosterone in ageing men, and obesity-associated changes in HPT axis hormones are reversible following weight reduction.

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“…The methodology of phase 1 and 2 of the European Male Ageing Study (EMAS) has been described in detail elsewhere (23,24).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of the men recruited, 193 died and the remaining 3176 men were invited to attend for follow-up 4.4G0.3 years (range 3.0-5.7 years) later (24). A total of 2736 (86.1%) men participated in the follow-up study, with 334 having been lost to follow-up (unrecorded reasons) and 106 having been institutionalised/too frail.…”

Section: Study Design and Population Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age-associated changes in hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular function in middle-aged and older men are modified by weight change and lifestyle factors: longitudinal results from the European Male Ageing Study

Camacho

Huhtaniemi

O'Neill

et al. 2013

European Journal of Endocrinology

328

232

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“…White European men aged 40 years and over were recruited from primary care registers in Manchester (UK) for participation in the European Male Aging Study 24. Briefly, participants were invited by letter of invitation to attend a local clinic for assessment, including an interviewer‐assisted questionnaire.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of muscle force, power, cross‐sectional muscle area and bone geometry in older UK men

Zengin

Pye

Cook

et al. 2017

J cachexia sarcopenia muscle

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BackgroundAgeing is associated with sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and increased fall risk, all of which contribute to increased fracture risk. Mechanically, bone strength adapts in response to forces created by muscle contractions. Adaptations can be through changes in bone size, geometry, and bending strength. Muscle mass is often used as a surrogate for muscle force; however, force can be increased without changes in muscle mass. Increased fall risk with ageing has been associated with a decline in muscle power—which is a measure of mobility. The aims of this study were as follows: (i) to investigate the relationship between muscle parameters in the upper and lower limbs with age in UK men and the influence of ethnicity on these relationships; (ii) to examine the relationships between jump force/grip strength/cross‐sectional muscle area (CSMA) with bone outcomes at the radius and tibia.MethodsWhite European, Black Afro‐Caribbean, and South Asian men aged 40–79 years were recruited from Manchester, UK. Cortical bone mineral content, cross‐sectional area, cortical area, cross‐sectional moment of inertia, and CSMA were measured at the diaphysis of the radius and tibia using peripheral quantitative computed tomography. Lower limb jump force and power were measured from a single two‐legged jump performed on a ground‐reaction force platform. Grip strength was measured using a dynamometer. Associations between muscle and bone outcomes was determined using linear regression with adjustments for age, height, weight, and ethnicity.ResultsThree hundred and one men were recruited. Jump force was negatively associated with age; for every 10 year increase in age, there was a 4% reduction in jump force (P < 0.0001). There was a significant age–ethnicity interaction for jump power (P = 0.039); after adjustments, this was attenuated (P = 0.088). For every 10 year increase in age, grip strength decreased by 11%. Jump force was positively associated with tibial bone outcomes: a 1 standard deviation greater jump force was associated with significantly higher cortical bone mineral content 3.1%, cross‐sectional area 4.2%, cortical area 3.4%, and cross‐sectional moment of inertia 6.8% (all P < 0.001). Cross‐sectional muscle area of the lower leg was not associated with tibial bone outcomes. Both grip strength and CSMA of the arm were positively associated, to a similar extent, with radius diaphyseal bone outcomes.ConclusionsJump force and power are negatively associated with age in UK men. In the lower limb, the measurement of jump force is more strongly related to bone outcomes than CSMA. It is important to consider jump force and power when understanding the aetiology of bone loss and mobility in ageing men.

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“…62 The EMAS (http://www.emas.man.ac.uk) is a multicenter (involving 8 European centers) cohort study that has been pointedly designed in order to evaluate physical, psychological and endocrine changes overtime, with particular attention to modifications of T secretion occurring with aging. 63,64 ( Table 2). The Rancho Bernardo Study started as a survey of heart disease risk factors in adults who were older than 30 y and lived in the southern California community of Rancho Bernardo, that has progressively accumulated a lot of data (not only on CV system) from this cohort across the last 40 years 59,65 ( Table 2).…”

Section: Main Characteristics Of Large Cohort Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aging and sex hormones in males

2016

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Several large cohort studies have disclosed the trajectories of sex steroids changes overtime in men and their clinical significance. In men the slow, physiological decline of serum testosterone (T) with advancing age overlaps with the clinical condition of overt, pathological hypogonadism. In addition, the increasing number of comorbidities, together with the high prevalence of chronic diseases, all further contribute to the decrease of serum T concentrations in the aging male. For all these reasons both the diagnosis of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) in men and the decision about starting or not T replacement treatment remain challenging. At present, the biochemical finding of T deficiency alone is not sufficient for diagnosing hypogonadism in older men. Coupling hypogonadal symptoms with documented low serum T represents the best strategy to refine the diagnosis of hypogonadism in older men and to avoid unnecessary treatments.

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Cohort Profile: The European Male Ageing Study

Cited by 44 publications

References 47 publications

Age-associated changes in hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular function in middle-aged and older men are modified by weight change and lifestyle factors: longitudinal results from the European Male Ageing Study

Age-associated changes in hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular function in middle-aged and older men are modified by weight change and lifestyle factors: longitudinal results from the European Male Ageing Study

Associations of muscle force, power, cross‐sectional muscle area and bone geometry in older UK men

Aging and sex hormones in males

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