Physical activity and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, insulin-like growth factor I and testosterone in healthy active elderly people

Objective: to examine the association of physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness with. dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and testosterone in healthy elderly people. Design: cross-sectional study. Setting: university research department and department of geriatric medicine. Participants: 60 independent, community-dwelling elderly subjects (26 men and 34 women) aged 66-84 who volunteered to participate. Measurements: physical activity was evaluated by the Questionnaire d'Activite Physique Saint-Etienne and expressed by three indices: mean habitual daily energy expenditure (MHDEE), daily energy expenditure (DEE) [comprising activities with intensities corresponding to at least three metabolic equivalents (MET; 3.5 ml.kg(1).min(1) of oxygen consumption)] and sport activity Cardio-respiratory fitness was expressed by maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). Results: in women, DHEAS correlated with VO2max (partial correlation: r=0.33; P=0.05), MHDEE (r=0.50; P = 0.002), DEE > 3 METs (r = 0.49; P = 0.003) and sport activity (r = 0.35; P = 0.04) whereas IGF-I correlated with MHDEE (r = 0.48; P = 0.004). DHEAS was correlated with IGF-I (r = 0.43; P < 0.02) and with testosterone (r = 0.41; P < 0.02). No such correlation was found in men. Conclusion: lower habitual physical activity is related to lower levels of circulating DHEAS and IGF-I independently of age and anthropometric measures. Lower maximal aerobic capacity is associated with lower DHEAS concentrations, in healthy elderly women.