Lifestyle may impact testosterone in men

WATERTOWN, Mass., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Testosterone concentrations in men normally decline with age, but a U.S. study confirms that lifestyle changes can accelerate the decline.

Research reveals that a Body Mass Index increase of only 4 to 5 points had the same diminishing effect on total testosterone as approximately 10 years of aging.

A similar decline in testosterone was also associated with a traumatic emotional event, such as the loss of a spouse.

"Understanding this phenomenon is important because low levels of testosterone may contribute to such conditions as diabetes, reduced bone and muscle mass, impaired sexual function, and a generally decreased quality of life," said lead author Thomas G. Travison of the New England Research Institutes in Watertown, Mass.

The researchers analyzed data on 1,667 subjects enrolled in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, a longitudinal study of men's health and endocrine functioning.

While lifestyle changes cannot be proven to be the cause of associated testosterone declines, they appear at least as significant as -- if not more than -- short- to mid-term aging effects. These results suggest the possibility that age-related hormone decline could be minimized by managing health and lifestyle factors, the authors say.

The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.