Female Pheromone and Physical Exercise Improve Endocrine Status in Elderly Japanese Men

BACKGROUNDS: Declines in muscle mass with age are closely related to changes in the balance between anabolic and catabolic hormones, probably due to the progressive decrease in circulating testosterone. There are some factors to affect the anabolic to catabolic hormone ratio. For example, anabolic to catabolic hormone ratio increases transitorily just after exercise. In addition, an increase in salivary testosterone in men exposed to female pheromones has been reported. Although exercise tolerability and olfactory perception decline with age, we can not exclude the possibility of the adaptation for exercise training and of the sensitivity for pheromone exposure in elderly men.OBJECTIVE: To examine whether exposure to female pheromones and physical exercise can modulate anabolic and catabolic endocrine status in elderly Japanese men.DESIGN: A random cohort, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.SETTING: Investigators tested subjects at community center in Tomiya Town, Miyagi, Japan.PARTICIPANTS: Twelve 52 to 74 y-old Japanese men participating in a 5-week exercise class. MEASUREMENTS: From the second to fifth exercise class periods a commercially available pheromone (Osmopherine) was applied to the upper lip of 6 men before exercise and continued as volatile molecules were released from necklace worn continuously. Another 6 men received the pheromone carrier gel on their upper lip and a necklace with only the vehicle. Saliva samples were collected before and after each exercise class to measure testosterone and cortisol concentrations. The daily physical activity level for each subject was assessed by an accelerometer.RESULTS: Pheromone exposure and exercise classes led to a significant increase in the pre-exercise testosterone to the cortisol ratio (F 1,39 = 4.8, P =0.035 F 4,39 = 12.0, P <0.001, respectively) . However, pheromone exposure did not affect the activity levels of participants.CONCLUSION: Female pheromone exposure in combination with exercise classes modulated endocrine effects in older men.