Exercise and Testosterone

An acute bout of exercise rapidly elevates testosterone level in circulation. This response is mediated by lactate, a metabolite produced from exercised skeletal muscle during anaerobic glycolysis. Circulating testosterone is produced and released, for the most part, from interstitial or Leydig cells of the testes. Despites this hormone is generally controlled by the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, the exercise-induced testosterone release is not associated with leuteinizing hormone (LH) stimulation. The magnitude of testosterone release during exercise can be varied by exercise mode, intensity, and duration. Overexertion in physical activity can sometimes cause counteractive effect on testosterone secretion. Testosterone plays important role in the development of muscle mass and strength. It interacts with myostatin, an inhibitor for muscle growth, to promote muscle protein synthesis. Since skeletal muscle plays a major role in postprandial glucose uptake, the relationship between baseline testosterone level and insulin resistance has attracted attention. Development of metabolic syndromes during aging are linked with reduced insulin sensitivity concurrent with reduced testosterone production in elderly. The positive effect of exercise on improving insulin sensitivity is widely confirmed, which could be partly associated with the exercise-induced testosterone release. Despite the major research effort on type 2 diabetes is not focused in this direction, the crosstalk between testosterone and insulin signaling pathways would be one promising research area to be explored in the future.

並列關鍵字

testosterone ； exercise ； lactate

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