Relation of age and smoking to serum levels of total testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in aged men

Background:  Hormonal factors have been extensively investigated in the area of geriatric medicine in the search for potential anti-aging agents or useful biomarkers for senescence in men. However, inconsistent results have been published so far concerning the relation of anthropometric and life-style factors to endocrine factors. To confirm the relationships between epidemiological parameters and sex hormone levels, we examined the relation of age and smoking to serum levels of total testosterone (T) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA) in aged men. Methods:  The subjects included men aged 50–74 years, 40 current smokers and 27 never smokers. Serum levels of T and DHEA were assayed with a radioimmunoassay kit. Results:  Serum T did not decrease with age, and was significantly higher in smokers than for non-smokers. Serum DHEA decreased with age more sharply in non-smokers than for smokers. Conclusion:  These data suggest that serum DHEA decreases with aging, but serum T does not, and that serum levels of these hormones are influenced by cigarette smoking.