@article {1263, title = {Health and function of participants in the Long Life Family Study: A comparison with other cohorts.}, journal = {Aging (Albany NY)}, volume = {3}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Jan}, pages = {63-76}, abstract = {

Individuals from families recruited for the Long Life Family Study (LLFS) (n= 4559) were examined and compared to individuals from other cohorts to determine whether the recruitment targeting longevity resulted in a cohort of individuals with better health and function. Other cohorts with similar data included the Cardiovascular Health Study, the Framingham Heart Study, and the New England Centenarian Study. Diabetes, chronic pulmonary disease and peripheral artery disease tended to be less common in LLFS probands and offspring compared to similar aged persons in the other cohorts. Pulse pressure and triglycerides were lower, high density lipids were higher, and a perceptual speed task and gait speed were better in LLFS. Age-specific comparisons showed differences that would be consistent with a higher peak, later onset of decline or slower rate of change across age in LLFS participants. These findings suggest several priority phenotypes for inclusion in future genetic analysis to identify loci contributing to exceptional survival.

}, keywords = {Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cohort Studies, Female, Gait, Humans, Longevity, Male, Middle Aged, Psychomotor Performance, Research Design}, issn = {1945-4589}, doi = {10.18632/aging.100242}, author = {Newman, Anne B and Glynn, Nancy W and Taylor, Christopher A and Sebastiani, Paola and Perls, Thomas T and Mayeux, Richard and Christensen, Kaare and Zmuda, Joseph M and Barral, Sandra and Lee, Joseph H and Simonsick, Eleanor M and Walston, Jeremy D and Yashin, Anatoli I and Hadley, Evan} } @article {1266, title = {Higher serum free testosterone concentration in older women is associated with greater bone mineral density, lean body mass, and total fat mass: the cardiovascular health study.}, journal = {J Clin Endocrinol Metab}, volume = {96}, year = {2011}, month = {2011 Apr}, pages = {989-96}, abstract = {

CONTEXT: The physiological importance of endogenous testosterone (T) in older women is poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the association of higher total and free T levels with bone mineral density (BMD), lean body mass, and fat mass in elderly women.

DESIGN: Total and free T were measured using sensitive assays in 232 community-dwelling women aged 67-94 yr who were enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study and had dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans. Cross-sectional analyses were performed to examine associations between total and free T and BMD and body composition.

RESULTS: In adjusted models, total T was directly associated with BMD at the lumbar spine (P = 0.04) and hip (P = 0.001), but not body composition outcomes, in all women, and after excluding estrogen users and adjusting for estradiol (P = 0.04 and 0.01, respectively). Free T was positively related to hip BMD, lean body mass, and body fat (all P < 0.05), with more than 10\% differences in each outcome between women at the highest and lowest ends of the free T range, with attenuation after excluding estrogen users and adjusting for estradiol.

CONCLUSIONS: In the setting of the low estradiol levels found in older women, circulating T levels were associated with bone density. Women with higher free T levels had greater lean body mass, consistent with the anabolic effect of T, and, in contrast to men, greater fat mass. Mechanistic studies are required to determine whether a causal relationship exists between T, bone, and body composition in this population and the degree to which any T effects are estrogen-independent.

}, keywords = {Adipose Tissue, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Body Mass Index, Bone Density, Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena, Cohort Studies, Female, Health, Humans, Organ Size, Osmolar Concentration, Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal, Testosterone, Thinness, Up-Regulation}, issn = {1945-7197}, doi = {10.1210/jc.2010-0926}, author = {Rariy, Chevon M and Ratcliffe, Sarah J and Weinstein, Rachel and Bhasin, Shalender and Blackman, Marc R and Cauley, Jane A and Robbins, John and Zmuda, Joseph M and Harris, Tamara B and Cappola, Anne R} }