A recent Scientific Statement released today by the Endocrine Society highlights the differences between features of aging which can be normal and sometimes over-treated, and people resembling menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis that may be treated and deserve more attention.

“Hormones and Aging: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement,” reviews the present state of research on hormonal changes with age. The statement focuses on common endocrine-related changes in older people including menopause and the event of diabetes, osteoporosis and thyroid disorders. The goal of the statement is to tell future research on the prevention and treatment of age-associated endocrine health problems.

Understanding the aspects that impact hormonal changes with age and when to correct them is an exciting area of research. The variety of older people is increasing worldwide, and it will be important that we preserve their health and quality of life. Differentiating normal age-related health changes from those related to an endocrine condition informs when to treat and more importantly when to not treat age-associated symptoms.”

Anne Cappola, M.D., writing group chair, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn

Key points from the statement:

• Menopausal symptoms are common, vary in degree of discomfort and may be effectively treated with a wide range of medications, yet these symptoms are still undertreated.

• More research is required to determine when older adults should receive testosterone-replacement therapy and to know the adversarial effects of the treatment on heart and prostate disease.

• More data is required to find out the optimal treatment goals in older individuals with diabetes.

• Fractures are sometimes not recognized as being related to osteoporosis, and because of this, most older patients with a fracture are usually not treated to forestall their next fracture.

• Methods to tell apart between age-associated changes in thyroid function and early hypothyroidism are needed.

• No therapy to extend growth hormone secretion or motion is currently approved as an anti-aging intervention, and the risks may outweigh the advantages.

• Some research has shown advantages of vitamin D supplementation in older adults, but standardized guidelines on appropriate vitamin D levels are lacking.

“The statement discusses how menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis are sometimes undertreated within the older population despite evidence that the treatments are each secure and effective,” Cappola said. “Treating these symptoms and screening for common endocrine conditions that develop or worsen with age could really improve the standard of life for older people.”

The study authors will present the statement’s key findings during an ENDO 2023 news conference today.

Other statement authors are Richard Auchus of the University of Michigan and LTC Charles S. Kettles Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan of the American University of Beirut in Beirut, Lebanon; David Handelsman of the University of Sydney and Concord Hospital in Sydney, Australia; Rita Kalyani of John Hopkins School of Medical in Baltimore, Md.; Michael McClung of Oregon Osteoporosis Center in Portland, Ore. and the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, Australia; Cynthia Stuenkel of the University of California San Diego School of Medicine in La Jolla, Calif.; Michael Thorner of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass.; and Joseph Verbalis of the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

The statement, “Hormones and Aging: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement,” was published online within the Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The Endocrine Society develops Scientific Statements to explore the scientific basis of hormone-related conditions and disease, discuss how this information may be applied in practice, and discover areas that require additional research. Topics are chosen on the idea of their emerging scientific impact. Scientific Statements are developed by a Task Force of experts appointed by the Endocrine Society, with internal review by the relevant Society committees and expert external reviewers prior to a comment period open to all members of the Society.