Is lifelong endurance training associated with maintaining levels of testosterone, interleukin-10, and body fat in middle-aged males?
J Clin Transl Res 2021;
7:450-455. [PMID:
34667891 PMCID:
PMC8520705]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background:
Aging is associated with a gradual physiological decline, including an imbalance in hormone profile, increased adiposity, and reduced anti-inflammatory cytokines. However, lifelong physical exercise mitigates aging, as observed in endurance-trained middle-aged athletes (EMA).
Aim:
We compared and associated testosterone, interleukin 10 (IL-10), and body fat in EMA and untrained age-matched individuals (UAM).
Methods:
Participants were EMA (n=25; 51.48±9.49 years) and UAM (n=23; 46.0±9.37 years). Both groups underwent body composition measurements (evaluated by a skinfold protocol) and blood sampling for IL-10 (assessed through ELISA® kit) and testosterone (assessed with Roche Diagnostics® kit, Mannheim, Germany, by chemiluminescence technique in a third-party laboratory).
Results:
EMA had lower body fat (14.15±3.82% vs. 23.42±4.95%; P<0.05), higher testosterone (751.68±191.45 ng/dL vs. 493.04±175.15 ng/dL; P<0.05), and higher IL-10 (8.00±1.21 pg/mL vs. 5.89±1.16 pg/mL; P<0.05) compared to UAM. A significant linear correlation was found between testosterone and IL-10 (r=0.56; P=0.001), whereas significant inverse correlations were observed between body fat and testosterone (r=–0.52; P=0.001) and body fat and IL-10 (r=–0.69; P=0.001).
Conclusions:
EMA had higher levels of IL-10 and testosterone and lower body fat in comparison with UAM. In addition, higher IL-10 was associated with increased levels of circulating testosterone and lower body fat.
Relevance for Patients:
The adoption of endurance training as part of a healthy lifestyle may contribute to decreasing age-related testosterone reduction, besides reducing markers of inflammaging, preventing the occurrence of chronic age-related diseases, and thus contributing to healthy aging. For people who already have chronic diseases, physical exercise can shift the immune system toward a more anti-inflammatory profile and, thus, improve their pathological condition. In both cases, physical exercise can help attenuate the decline in testosterone, decrease body fat, and increase anti-inflammatory levels.
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