ASSOCIATION OF DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE-SULFATE, BODY-COMPOSITION, AND PHYSICAL-FITNESS IN INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER MEN AND WOMEN

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association of dehydroepiandrosterone sul fate (DHEAS), body composition, and physical fitness in independent co mmunity-dwelling men and women aged 60 to 80 years. DESIGN: Cross sect ional analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Independent men and women, 60 years of a ge and older, living in urban and suburban communities of Southeastern Wisconsin. MEASUREMENTS: History, physical examination, physical acti vity level, and anthropometrics were measured for every subject. Total adipose mass (TAM) and lean body mass were measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, insulin-like gr owth factor-1 (IGF-1), total testosterone (TT), and free testosterone (FT) were measured using radioimmunoassay. Physical fitness was measur ed as VO(2)max using exercise stress tests. Blood for lipids was analy zed using standard assays. RESULTS: In men, the DHEAS was significantl y correlated to age (r = -.32), TAM (r = -.27), percent fat (r = -.30) , HDL cholesterol (r = .34), TT (r = .30), VO(2)max (r = .23), and per cent lean body mass (% LBM) (r = .33). In women, the DHEAS was not sig nificantly correlated to any of the variables examined except body mas s index (BMI) (r = .23). In men, after partialling out age, DHEAS was significantly correlated to HDL, % fat, TAM, % LBM, and TT. Multivaria te analysis for men revealed that high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) was the strongest predictor of serum DHEAS level, followed by % LBM, BMI, and age. The men in the highest quartile of serum DHEAS lev els were different from those in the lowest quartile in terms of age, IT, FT, % fat, TAM, % LBM, HDL, and low density lipoprotein (LDL) chol esterol level. No such differences were found in the two groups of wom en. CONCLUSION: In this group of independent community-dwelling older men, several factors were found to be associated with the serum DHEAS concentration, whereas in a group of older women, no such associations were identified with the exception of BMI. Men in the highest quartil e of serum DHEAS level, compared with those with a serum DHEAS level i n the lowest quartile, were younger, leaner, more fit, had higher TT a nd FT levels, and had a favorable lipid profile. No such differences w ere identified between the women in the highest and the lowest quartil es of serum DHEAS level.