The Endocrinology of Aging
Steven W. J. Lamberts, Annewieke W. van den Beld, Aart‐Jan van der Lely
Research Article — Peer-Reviewed Source
Original research published by Lamberts et al. in Science. Redistributed under Open Access — see publisher for license terms. MedTech Research Group provides these references for informational purposes. We do not conduct original research. All studies are the work of their respective authors and institutions.
Most aging individuals die from atherosclerosis, cancer, or dementia; but in the oldest old, loss of muscle strength resulting in frailty is the limiting factor for an individual's chances of living an independent life until death. Three hormonal systems show decreasing circulating hormone concentrations during normal aging: (i) estrogen (in menopause) and testosterone (in andropause), (ii) dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulphate (in adrenopause), and (iii) the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor I axis (in somatopause). Physical changes during aging have been considered physiologic, but there is evidence that some of these changes are related to this decline in hormonal activity. Hormone replacement strategies have been developed, but many of their aspects remain controversial, and increasing blood hormone levels in aging individuals to those found during mid-adult life has not been uniformly proven to be safe and of benefit.
Full text is available at the publisher.
Read at Publisher| DOI | 10.1126/science.278.5337.419 |
| Journal | Science |
| Year | 1997 |
| Authors | Steven W. J. Lamberts, Annewieke W. van den Beld, Aart‐Jan van der Lely |
| License | Open Access — see publisher for license terms |
| Citations | 980 |