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Androgens and bone metabolism

Christian Alexandre1

  • 1Research Unit Inserm U366, Service de Rhumatologie, St-Etienne University, Hôpital Bellevue, CHU de St-Etienne, Boulevard Pasteur, 42055 St Etienne, France. christian.alexandre@univ-st-etienne.fr

Joint Bone Spine
|April 27, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Estrogen, not testosterone, plays a larger role in maintaining bone density for both men and women. This finding may lead to new osteoporosis treatments, especially for men undergoing prostate cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Bone Biology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Bone mass and density decrease with age, paralleling sex hormone level changes.
  • Osteoporosis is traditionally linked to androgens in men and estrogens in women.
  • Recent findings challenge the established understanding of osteoporosis etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the literature on the roles of sex hormones in bone health.
  • To investigate the influence of estrogens versus androgens on bone mass.
  • To explore implications for male osteoporosis treatment and prostate cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on sex hormones and bone density.
  • Analysis of clinical reports on osteoporosis in men with varying hormone levels.
  • Synthesis of evidence regarding estrogen and androgen effects on skeletal calcium density.

Main Results:

  • Estrogens exert a more significant influence on bone mass than androgens.
  • Osteoporosis can occur in men with normal testosterone but low estrogen levels.
  • Prostate cancer treatments can induce osteoporosis, warranting further attention.

Conclusions:

  • Estrogen is a critical factor in maintaining bone mass in both sexes.
  • New therapeutic strategies for male osteoporosis may focus on estrogen.
  • Osteoporosis secondary to prostate cancer treatment requires increased medical focus.

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