Open AccessMechanisms Behind Estrogen's Beneficial Effect on Muscle Strength in Females
Author(s) -
Dawn A. Lowe,
Kristen A. Baltgalvis,
Sarah M. Greising
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
exercise and sport sciences reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.945
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1538-3008
pISSN - 0091-6331
DOI - 10.1097/jes.0b013e3181d496bc
Subject(s) - estrogen , testosterone (patch) , muscle strength , endocrinology , medicine , estrogen receptor , weakness , mechanism (biology) , muscle weakness , biology , physiology , anatomy , philosophy , epistemology , cancer , breast cancer
Muscle weakness ensues when serum testosterone declines with age in men. Testosterone's female counterpart, estrogen, also has been implicated in age-related strength loss, but these results are less conclusive. Our working hypothesis is that estrogens do benefit muscle strength, and that the underlying mechanism involves estrogen receptors to improve muscle quality more so than quantity.