Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jul;99(7):E1322-6.
doi: 10.1210/jc.2014-1319. Epub 2014 Apr 2.

Serum estradiol levels are inversely associated with cortical porosity in older men

Liesbeth Vandenput  1 , Mattias Lorentzon, Daniel Sundh, Maria E Nilsson, Magnus K Karlsson, Dan Mellström, Claes Ohlsson
Affiliations

Serum estradiol levels are inversely associated with cortical porosity in older men

Liesbeth Vandenput et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014 Jul.

Abstract

Context: The key role of serum estradiol (E2) for bone health in men is well established. The effect of serum sex steroids on bone microstructure, measured by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography, remains unknown in elderly men.

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the associations between serum sex steroids and bone microstructural parameters in older men.

Methods: Trabecular and cortical bone microstructure at the tibia was measured by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography in 440 men (mean 80 y of age) participating in the population-based Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Sweden cohort. Serum levels of E2 and T were analyzed with mass spectrometry and free E2 and free T levels were calculated using law-of-mass-action equations.

Results: Age-adjusted models demonstrated that E2 and free E2 but not T or free T associated significantly inversely with cortical porosity. The associations between E2 and free E2 and cortical porosity remained significant after further adjustment for height, weight, physical activity, calcium intake, and smoking. Models including both serum E2 and T demonstrated that E2 (standardized β = -.12, P < .05) but not T associated independently with cortical porosity. A similar independent association was found for free E2 (standardized β = -.12, P < .05) but not free T. Free E2 associated significantly with trabecular bone volume fraction in the age-adjusted models, but this association did not remain significant after further adjustment.

Conclusions: Serum E2 levels associated inversely with cortical porosity in 80-year-old men. We propose that low serum E2 may reduce cortical bone strength, at least partly, by increasing cortical porosity and thereby increase fracture risk in older men.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Vandenput L, Ohlsson C. Estrogens as regulators of bone health in men. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2009;5:437–443 - PubMed
    1. Slemenda CW, Longcope C, Zhou L, Hui SL, Peacock M, Johnston CC. Sex steroids and bone mass in older men. Positive associations with serum estrogens and negative associations with androgens. J Clin Invest. 1997;100:1755–1759 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cauley JA, Ewing SK, Taylor BC, et al. Sex steroid hormones in older men: longitudinal associations with 4.5-year change in hip bone mineral density—the osteoporotic fractures in men study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;95:4314–4323 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Khosla S, Melton LJ, 3rd, Robb RA, et al. Relationship of volumetric BMD and structural parameters at different skeletal sites to sex steroid levels in men. J Bone Miner Res. 2005;20:730–740 - PubMed
    1. Khosla S, Melton LJ, 3rd, Atkinson EJ, O'Fallon WM. Relationship of serum sex steroid levels to longitudinal changes in bone density in young versus elderly men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001;86:3555–3561 - PubMed

Publication types