Effect of Exercise on Serum Androgens in Postmenopausal Women: A 12-Month Randomized Clinical Trial

Anne McTiernan; Shelley S. Tworoger; Kumar B. Rajan; Yutaka Yasui; Bess Sorenson; Cornelia M. Ulrich; Jessica Chubak; Frank Z. Stanczyk; Deborah Bowen; Melinda L. Irwin; Rebecca E. Rudolph; John D. Potter; Robert S. Schwartz

DOI: Published July 2004

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Figure 1.
Participant recruitment, screening, randomization, and retention.

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Table 1.

Baseline characteristics* of randomized participants

	Exercisers	Controls
n	87	86
Age (y), mean ± SD	60.7 ± 6.7	60.6 ± 6.8
BMI (kg/m²), mean ± SD	30.4 ± 4.1	30.5 ± 3.7
Percentage body fat (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), mean ± SD	47.4 ± 4.8	47.3 ± 4.6
VO_{2 max} (mL/kg/min), mean ± SD	20.0 ± 3.5	20.4 ± 3.0
Alcohol (g/d), mean ± SD	4.03 ± 8.4	4.62 ± 7.2
Total calories (kcal/d), mean ± SD	1635 ± 792.2	1722 ± 671.8
Full-time employment, n (%)	25 (29)	25 (29)
Education, n (%)
High school graduate	10 (12)	9 (10)
Some college	36 (41)	35 (41)
College graduate	5 (6)	10 (12)
Graduate degree	36 (41)	32 (37)
Ethnicity, n (%)
Non-Hispanic White	74 (86)	75 (87)
African American	4 (5)	3 (4)
Asian/Pacific Islander	6 (7)	3 (4)
Hispanic/Latino	0 (0)	2 (2)
American Indian	0 (0)	2 (2)
Other	2 (2)	1 (1)
Family history of breast cancer, n (%)
None	59 (68)	58 (67)
First degree	14 (16)	16 (19)
Second degree	13 (15)	11 (13)
Ever used hormone therapy, n (%)	35 (48)	38 (52)
History of hysterectomy, n (%)	13 (14.9)	18 (20.9)

↵* There were no statistically significant differences at baseline between intervention and control participants for these variables.

Table 2.

Hormone concentrations [Geometric Mean (95% Confidence Interval)] at baseline and at 3 and 12 months in exercise intervention and control participants

	Baseline	3 Months	P*	12 Months	P^†
Androstenedione (pg/mL)
Exercisers	533 (494-575)	480 (439-525)	0.15	480 (447-516)	0.89
Controls	585 (541-633)	566 (524-611)	0.15		0.89	525 (489-564)
DHEA (ng/mL)
Exercisers	2.19 (1.93-2.49)	2.00 (1.73-2.30)	0.21	1.93 (1.68-2.20)	0.47
Controls	2.46 (2.22-2.72)	2.39 (2.15-2.65)	0.21		0.47	2.24 (2.03-2.47)
DHEA-S (μg/dL)
Exercisers	53.0 (45.5-61.8)	49.0 (41.9-57.3)	0.50	47.8 (41.2-55.5)	0.57
Controls	63.1 (54.8-72.7)	58.5 (50.6-67.6)	0.50		0.57	58.5 (50.9-67.2)
Testosterone (pg/mL)
Exercisers	211 (196-228)	207 (191-224)	0.95	208 (190-227)	0.94
Controls	223 (204-243)	218 (201-238)	0.95		0.94	218 (199-239)
Free testosterone (pg/mL)
Exercisers	4.6 (4.2-4.9)	4.3 (4.0-4.7)	0.28	4.3 (3.9-4.7)	0.42
Controls	4.7 (4.3-5.2)	4.6 (4.3-5.1)	0.28		0.42	4.6 (4.2-5.0)

↵* Difference in hormone change from baseline to 3 months in exercisers versus controls resulting from repeated-measures analysis.
↵† Difference in hormone change from baseline to 12 months in exercisers versus controls resulting from repeated-measures analysis.

Table 3.

Hormone concentrations [Geometric Mean (95% Confidence Interval)] at baseline and at 3 and 12 months in exercise intervention and control participants by change in percentage body fat

	Exercisers					Controls
		Baseline	3 Months	12 Months	Baseline	3 Months	12 Months
Androstenedione (pg/mL)
Gained percentage body fat	498 (432-573)	505 (433-590)	473 (410-546)	601 (513-704)	562 (479-659)	538 (461-628)
No change in percentage body fat	526 (459-603)	443 (345-570)	551 (437-694)	574 (473-696)	527 (455-611)	502 (434-582)
Lost 0.5-2% body fat	526 (460-602)	489 (405-591)	470 (424-521)	595 (527-672)	608 (530-697)	526 (467-592)
Lost >2% body fat	558 (472-661)	463 (398-540)	463 (398-539)	557 (471-659)	554 (462-664)	506 (441-580)
DHEA (ng/mL)
Gained percentage body fat	1.59 (1.12-2.26)	1.63 (1.13-2.34)	1.46 (1.00-2.14)	2.53 (2.08-3.09)	2.50 (2.04-3.07)	2.26 (1.89-2.72)
No change in percentage body fat	2.16 (1.75-2.67)	1.84 (1.28-2.66)	2.31 (1.63-3.29)	2.54 (2.07-3.11)	2.29 (1.89-2.77)	2.27 (1.90-2.73)
Lost 0.5-2% body fat	2.26 (1.80-2.84)	2.15 (1.62-2.85)	1.99 (1.60-2.49)	2.55 (2.14-3.04)	2.50 (2.18-2.88)	2.33 (1.97-2.75)
Lost >2% body fat	2.51 (2.02-3.12)	2.18 (1.77-2.67)	2.01 (1.63-2.50)	1.83 (1.44-2.33)	1.81 (1.27-2.57)	1.68 (1.32-2.15)
DHEA-S (μg/dL)
Gained percentage body fat	41.9 (29.5-59.5)	42.7 (31.8-57.4)	37.3 (25.9-53.7)	69.4 (53.2-90.4)	63.5 (48.3-83.6)	63.0 (48.7-81.6)
No change in percentage body fat	52.1 (37.6-72.2)	47.3 (29.9-74.8)	52.4 (35.0-78.7)	63.3 (48.1-83.1)	54.5 (40.4-73.6)	58.0 (43.6-77.2)
Lost 0.5-2% body fat	52.3 (39.3-69.6)	48.1 (35.2-65.7)	50.2 (40.2-62.6)	64.3 (52.1-79.2)	63.2 (50.2-77.0)	58.1 (46.3-72.8)
Lost >2% body fat	62.5 (46.3-84.3)	55.4 (42.4-72.3)	48.9 (36.3-66.0)	42.9 (26.6-69.3)	43.4 (26.4-71.4)	44.3 (28.8-68.2)
Testosterone (pg/mL)
Gained percentage body fat	215 (184-260)	233 (191-284)	237 (187-300)	236 (198-281)	217 (182-257)	223 (184-269)
No change in percentage body fat	224 (179-281)	227 (189-273)	234 (194-281)	210 (170-260)	214 (173-265)	213 (168-271)
Lost 0.5-2% body fat	213 (187-243)	210 (187-236; P = 0.024)*	200 (175-229; P = 0.027)^†	215 (190-242)	215 (195-237)	209 (190-230)
Lost >2% body fat	199 (173-230)	179 (154-207; P = 0.005)*	183 (156-213; P = 0.023)^†	248 (196-315)	244 (193-308)	239 (192-298)
Free testosterone (pg/mL)
Gained percentage body fat	4.8 (4.1-5.7)	5.1 (4.2-6.2)	5.2 (4.2-6.5)	4.8 (3.9-5.8)	4.5 (3.7-5.4)	4.5 (3.7-5.5)
No change in percentage body fat	4.6 (3.6-6.0)	4.4 (3.5-5.6; P = 0.065)*	4.8 (3.9-5.9)	4.6 (3.8-5.7)	4.7 (3.7-5.8)	4.7 (3.7-5.9)
Lost 0.5-2% body fat	4.8 (4.2-5.5)	4.6 (4.0-5.2; P = 0.033)*	4.3 (3.7-4.9; P = 0.010)^†	4.6 (4.1-5.1)	4.6 (4.2-5.0)	4.4 (4.0-5.0)
Lost >2% body fat	4.1 (3.6-4.7)	3.6 (3.1-4.1; P = 0.010)*	3.6 (3.1-4.2; P = 0.031)^†	5.4 (4.5-6.6)	5.3 (4.3-6.5)	5.0 (4.1-6.0)

NOTE: The numbers of exercisers who gained, no change, lost 0.5% to 2.0% body fat, and lost >2% body fat were 16, 12, 29, and 26, respectively; the numbers of controls who gained, no change, lost 0.5% to 2.0% body fat, and lost >2% body fat were 27, 20, 25, and 11, respectively.
↵* P value for hormone change from baseline to 3 months in exercisers versus controls within level of percentage body fat change compared with those that gained percentage body fat. P values not presented were >0.05.
↵† P value for hormone change from baseline to 12 months in exercisers versus controls within level of percentage body fat change compared with those that gained percentage body fat. P values not presented were >0.05.

Table 4.

Hormone levels [Geometric Mean (95% Confidence Interval)] at baseline and 12 months in exercise intervention participants by change in fitness (VO_{2 max})

	Exercisers
		Baseline	12 Months	P*
Androstenedione (pg/mL)
Decrease or stable VO_{2 max}^†	500 (413-604)	418 (370-472)
1-10% increase in VO_{2 max}^‡	578 (494-676)	542 (459-640)	0.37
>10% increase in VO_{2 max}^§	520 (464-582)	477 (428-531)	0.39
DHEA (ng/mL)
Decrease or stable VO_{2 max}	1.54 (1.07-2.23)	1.27 (0.88-1.83)
1-10% increase in VO_{2 max}	2.54 (1.97-3.26)	2.29 (1.68-3.12)	0.45
>10% increase in VO_{2 max}	2.26 (1.90-2.69)	2.08 (1.75-2.47)	0.22
DHEA-S (μg/dL)
Decrease or stable VO_{2 max}	41.3 (26.6-64.1)	33.7 (22.1-51.2)
1-10% increase in VO_{2 max}	61.1 (43.5-85.9)	60.3 (45.7-79.6)	0.13
>10% increase in VO_{2 max}	56.5 (45.4-70.3)	49.2 (39.9-60.6)	0.39
Testosterone (pg/mL)
Decrease or stable VO_{2 max}	177 (151-207)	167 (143-194)
1-10% increase in VO_{2 max}	244 (213-280)	252 (211-302)	0.18
>10% increase in VO_{2 max}	205 (181-232)	197 (173-223)	0.71
Free testosterone (pg/mL)
Decrease or stable VO_{2 max}	3.9 (3.3-4.6)	3.6 (3.0-4.2)
1-10% increase in VO_{2 max}	5.1 (4.3-6.0)	5.0 (4.0-6.2)	0.35
>10% increase in VO_{2 max}	4.5 (4.0-5.0)	4.1 (3.6-4.6)	0.95

↵* P value for difference in hormone change from baseline between VO_{2 max} groups (referent is decrease or stable VO_{2 max} group).
↵† n = 14.
↵‡ n = 20.
↵§ n = 41.