Sex hormones and bone mineral density in elderly men

The aim of this study was to determine the relationships between sex hormones and bone mineral density (BMD) in older men. Community-dwelling men (n = 134, mean age (SD) 69.5 (3.1) years) were recruited from two general practices in Cambridge, UK. Plasma total testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were assayed and a free androgen index (FAI) was derived as the ratio of total testosterone to SHBG (x 100). Spine and hip BMD were measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry using the Hologic QDR-1000. After adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI), the FAI correlated with femoral neck (r = 0.20, P = 0 0.03), intertrochanteric, trochanteric and Ward's Triangle BMD (r = 0.22, P = 0.01). Analysis of variance, with adjustment for age and BMI, showed a progressive upward trend of hip BMD with increasing quartiles of FAI. The findings suggest that free testosterone plays a role in determining bone mineral density in older men.