Observational studyThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism2021
Serum FSH Is Associated With BMD, Bone Marrow Adiposity, and Body Composition in the AGES-Reykjavik Study of Older Adults.
Observational study in The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- The extragonadal biology of gonadotropin hormones: should we rename these?Endocrine connections · 2026Article
- Clinical review: Menopause hormone therapy in weight management.Obesity pillars · 2026Review
- Neuroendocrine and neural control of bone mass in health and disease.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026Review
- Reduction of glycation stress as a geroscience intervention: protocol for a pilot RCT in postmenopausal women.npj aging · 2026Article
- Induction of puberty in hypogonadal forms of primary amenorrhoea: current evidence and future perspectives.Endocrine connections · 2026Review
- FSH Signaling in Osteoporosis and Alzheimer's Disease.Current osteoporosis reports · 2026Review
- Article
- Mechanistic redundancy and hierarchy of aging mechanisms: implications for strategies to extend healthspan and biomarker integration.Frontiers in aging · 2026Review
- Gonadotropin trajectories among postmenopausal women not using hormone therapy.Menopause (New York, N.Y.) · 2026Article
- Beyond Estrogen Deficiency: The Independent Role of FSH in Site-Specific Bone Loss in Midlife Women.Calcified tissue international · 2025Article
- Targeting FSH for osteoporosis, obesity, and Alzheimer's disease.Trends in molecular medicine · 2025Review
- Article
- Higher FSH Level Is Associated With Increased Risk of Incident Hip Fracture in Older Adults, Independent of Sex Hormones.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2025Article
- Neuroendocrinology of bone.Pituitary · 2024Review
- FSH, bone, belly and brain.The Journal of endocrinology · 2024Review
- Pituitary crosstalk with bone, adipose tissue and brain.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2023Review
- Evaluation of the relations between reproduction-related pituitary and ovarian hormones and abdominal fat area-related variables determined with computed tomography in overweight or obese women who have undergone bariatric surgery: a cross-sectional study.Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery · 2023Article
- Associations of LH and FSH with reproductive hormones depending on each stage of the menopausal transition.BMC women's health · 2023Article
- Association of follicle-stimulating hormone with bone turnover markers and bone mineral density in Chinese women across the menopausal transition.Journal of clinical laboratory analysis · 2023Article
- Follicle-stimulating hormone is associated with low bone mass in postmenopausal women.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
18 authors at 10 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
contextFollicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations increase during the perimenopausal transition and remain high after menopause. Loss of bone mineral density (BMD) and gain of bone marrow adiposity (BMA) and body fat mass also occur during this time. In mice, blocking the action of FSH increases bone mass and decreases fat mass.
objectiveTo investigate the associations between endogenous FSH levels and BMD, BMA, and body composition in older adults, independent of estradiol and testosterone levels. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
participantsOlder adults from the AGES-Reykjavik Study, an observational cohort study.
main outcome measuresAreal BMD, total body fat, and lean mass were measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Lumbar vertebral BMA was measured by 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Volumetric BMD and visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT, SAT) areas were measured with quantitative computed tomography. The least squares means procedure was used to determine sex hormone-adjusted associations between quartiles of serum FSH and BMD, BMA, and body composition.
resultsIn women (N = 238, mean age 81 years), those in the highest FSH quartile, compared with the lowest quartile, had lower adjusted mean spine integral BMD (-8.6%), lower spine compressive strength index (-34.8%), higher BMA (+8.4%), lower weight (-8.4%), lower VAT (-17.6%), lower lean mass (-6.1%), and lower fat mass (-11.9%) (all P < 0.05). In men, FSH level was not associated with any outcome.
conclusionsOlder postmenopausal women with higher FSH levels have higher BMA, but lower BMD and lower fat and lean mass, independent of estradiol and testosterone levels. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms.
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