Investigators used the mean of 60 years old to adjust for age, Dr. Wu explained in response to a question from the audience; however, this may have been an overadjustment as free testosterone and DHEA-S are age dependent, Dr. Wu admitted.
Investigators also incorporated a frailty index of 39 health deficits – 16 physical or cognitive, 11 comorbidities, and 12 clinical – measuring on a 0-1 scale in order to measure different levels of frailty.
While the link between these androgens and frailty are evident, the potential benefits of hormonal intervention in elderly men are still in the air and demand further study.
“The decline in androgen levels in the physiological range, because of the modest degree of change, is unlikely to be the single greatest cause of deterioration in the majority of aging men in the population,” said Dr. Wu. “Therefore, the possible therapeutic roles of androgens in improving physical health may be limited to a minority of men with very low levels of testosterone.”