Lack of correlation between 6-month fluctuations in habitual physical activity and testosterone. Concentrations in elderly subjects.

BACKGROUND

To examine the influence of long-term modifications in habitual physical activity (PA) on resting total testosterone (TT) concentrations in a group of healthy elderly subjects.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

6-month prospective study.

SETTING

University research departments of exercise physiology and geriatric medicine.

PARTICIPANTS

thirty-one independent, community dwelling elderly subjects (16 men and 15 women) aged > 65 who volunteered to participate.

INTERVENTIONS

correlational study.

MEASURES

PA was evaluated by a questionnaire QAPSE (Questionnaire d Activité Physique Saint-Etienne) and expressed by two activity indices: mean habitual daily energy expenditure (MHDEE) and daily energy expenditure corresponding to leisure time sports activities (Sports activity index).

RESULTS

Changes in resting TT concentrations were not related to changes in MHDEE (r = -0.28; p = 0.30 and r = -0.001; p=0.99) and Sports activity (r = -0.30; p = 0.26 and r = -0.05; p = 0.85) in men and women, respectively. Similarly, relative (%) changes in TT were not related to relative changes in MHDEE (r = -0.16; p=0.55 and r = 0.17; p=0.55) and Sports activity (r = -0.11; p=0.68 and r = 0.02; p = 0.92).

CONCLUSIONS

The levels of habitual PA undertaken by an average senior do not appear to affect TT levels in healthy active elderly men and women.