E2 and Testosterone Protect Against Bone Marrow Fat & Osteoporosis

[CoastWatcher]

Higher bone marrow fat (BMF) is associated with osteoporosis and reduced hematopoiesis. Exogenous estradiol reduces BMF in older women, but effects of endogenous sex hormones are unknown.

• 244 men and 226 women, mean age 81.5 (SD 4.1) years, all residents of Iceland were enrolled in this study.
• Vertebral BMF was measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Estradiol, testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin were measured on archived serum.
• Mean BMF was 54.1% (SD 8.6) (men) and 54.7% (SD 8.1) (women).
• In adjusted models, per 1pg/ml increase in total estradiol, there was a statistically significant 0.26% decrease in BMF in men (95% CI: -0.41, -0.11) and a non-significant 0.20% decrease in women (95% CI: -0.55, 0.15), with no evidence of interaction by gender.
• Per 10ng/dl increase in total testosterone, there was a significant 0.10% decrease in BMF in men (95% CI: -0.17, -0.03) and a non-significant 0.13% (95% CI: -0.79, 0.53) decrease in women, with no evidence of interaction by gender (p=0.97).

CONCLUSION:

Higher bone marrow fat is associated with lower total estradiol and testosterone levels in older men, with a similar but statistically non-significant association in older women. Sex hormone levels appear to play a role in the regulation of bone marrow fat in older adults.

"Sex hormones are negatively associated with vertebral bone marrow fat," Bone, 2017 December 11, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29241825/

 

[Virginian]

My doctor recommended TRT to treat osteoporosis that was not getting better using fosamax (age 75 now). It worked. I no longer have osteoporosis. However, there were side effects - larger muscles, more strength, less fat, and more thoughts about sex. But I can live with the side effects.