Secular decline in male testosterone and SHBG serum levels in Danish population surveys
Researchers at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen analysed 5,350 male serum samples from four Danish population surveys between 1982 and 2001. It is the Danish counterpart to the American and Finnish cohort studies, and it examines Leydig cell function alongside the known trends in semen quality.
Focus
Danish population data
Published finding
Danish population data
Source
10.1210/jc.2006-2633
Record
Ref 13
Structured abstract
Method
Researchers at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen analysed 5,350 male serum samples from four Danish population surveys between 1982 and 2001. It is the Danish counterpart to the American and Finnish cohort studies, and it examines Leydig cell function alongside the known trends in semen quality.
Result
Testosterone fell and SHBG rose in age-matched men across the survey periods. The trend in SHBG remained significant after adjustment for the parallel rise in BMI. For total testosterone the cohort effect was no longer significant once BMI was accounted for. The authors suggest a primary change in SHBG that pulls total testosterone to a lower set point while free testosterone is defended.
What to take with you
5,350 samples from 1982–2001: later-born men had lower testosterone and higher SHBG. The SHBG rise survived BMI adjustment.
Why it matters
5,350 Danish samples (1982–2001): later-born men had lower testosterone and higher SHBG — the SHBG rise survived BMI adjustment.
Study frame
Danish population data
Researchers at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen analysed 5,350 male serum samples from four Danish population surveys between 1982 and 2001. It is the Danish counterpart to the American and Finnish cohort studies, and it examines Leydig cell function alongside the known trends in semen quality.
Finding
Testosterone fell and SHBG rose in age-matched men across the survey periods.
Contrast
The trend in SHBG remained significant after adjustment for the parallel rise in BMI.
Context
For total testosterone the cohort effect was no longer significant once BMI was accounted for.
DOI
10.1210/jc.2006-2633
Category
Danish population data
Findings listed
4
Type
As published
What to take from the numbers
Boxes below use only wording already in the published summary for this study.
Reported finding
1
Testosterone fell and SHBG rose in age-matched men across the survey periods.
Reported finding
2
The trend in SHBG remained significant after adjustment for the parallel rise in BMI.
Reported finding
3
For total testosterone the cohort effect was no longer significant once BMI was accounted for.
Cross-sectional survey samples across four periods; part of the testosterone trend is explained by rising body weight, and free testosterone showed no independent time trend.
Why it matters when reading your own result
Pulled from the study's own findings.
Testosterone fell and SHBG rose in age-matched men across the survey periods.
Danish population data
The trend in SHBG remained significant after adjustment for the parallel rise in BMI.
Danish population data
For total testosterone the cohort effect was no longer significant once BMI was accounted for.
Danish population data
Clinical reading
How to use this page
Researchers at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen analysed 5,350 male serum samples from four Danish population surveys between 1982 and 2001. It is the Danish counterpart to the American and Finnish cohort studies, and it examines Leydig cell function alongside the known trends in semen quality.
Related studies in this library
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 2007
A population-level decline in serum testosterone levels in American men
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 86: 724–731 · 2001
Longitudinal effects of aging on serum total and free testosterone levels in healthy men
European Journal of Endocrinology 168: 227–233 · 2013
A cohort effect on serum testosterone levels in Finnish men
Your own numbers
Measure before you decide what this page means for you.
The figures here describe men who were actually measured.
- Total testosterone and SHBG
- Symptoms written down
- Haematocrit as a safety baseline
- Repeat labs before any protocol change