Free Thyroxine and Functional Mobility, Fitness, and Fatigue in Euthyroid Older Men and Women in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that mildly down-regulated thyroid function in older persons may protect and/or reflect maintained health. METHODS: Using observational data collected between January 2006 and March 2014 on a volunteer sample of 602 men and women aged 68-97 years with normal thyroid function participating in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, this study examines the concurrent relationship between reported walking ability, usual and rapid gait speed, endurance walk performance, fatigability, and reported energy level with respect to free thyroxine (FT4) within the normal range (0.76-1.50ng/dL) as a continuous variable and categorized as low (lower quartile), medium (interquartile), or high (upper quartile). RESULTS: Adjusting for sex, age, race, height, weight, exercise and smoking, reported walking ability, usual and rapid gait speed, 400-m time, fatigability, and reported energy level were less favorable with increasing FT4 (p = .013 to <.001). In sex-strata, similar associations were observed except for walking ability in men and energy level in women. Categorical analyses revealed that persons with low FT4 exhibited better functional mobility, fitness, and reported energy than persons with intermediate or high levels (p < .05 for all). Persons with high-normal versus medium FT4 had slower usual and rapid gait speed (p < .05) only. CONCLUSION: Older adults with low-normal FT4 exhibit better mobility, fitness, and fatigue profiles. Mildly down-regulated thyroid function appears to align with better function in old age and may serve as a biomarker of healthy longevity.
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Older adults with low FT4 concentrations within the normal range exhibit better mobility and fitness levels compared with those with normal FT4.
“Older adults with low FT4 concentrations within the normal range exhibit better mobility and fitness levels compared with those with normal FT4.135”
From Hypothyroidism (2024) · cites this paper as [135]
Older adults with low-normal FT4 exhibit better mobility and fitness levels compared to those with normal FT4.
“In addition, older adults with low-normal FT4 exhibit better mobility and fitness levels compared to those with normal FT4 [106].”
From Age-related variation in thyroid function – a narrative review highlighting important implications for research and clinical practice (2023) · cites this paper as [106]
Scant data exist about the relationship between thyroid function, functional status, and future disability in this age group.
“Scant data exist about the relationship between thyroid function, functional status, and future disability in this age group (43, 46, 47).”
From Serum Thyroid Function, Mortality and Disability in Advanced Old Age: The Newcastle 85+ Study (2016) · cites this paper as [47]
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- Authors
- Simonsick, E. M., Chia, C. W., Mammen, J. S., Egan, J. M., & Ferrucci, L.
- Affiliations
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Venue
- The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2016-01-20
- Volume
- 71
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 961-967
- ISSN
- 1079-5006 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-535X
- PMC
- PMC4906324
- OpenAlex
- W2339755301
- Cited by
- 38
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 5
- FWCI
- 5.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- The Journals of Gerontology Series A (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Aging
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Thyroid Disorders and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Hormonal and reproductive studies
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention
- Keywords
- free thyroxine, thyroid function, older adults, functional mobility, walking speed, endurance, fatigability, energy levels, physical fitness, healthy aging, euthyroidism
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Disability Evaluation, Energy Metabolism, Fatigue, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Physical Endurance, Statistics as Topic, Thyroxine, Baltimore, Biomarkers, Geriatric Assessment, Walking, Mobility Limitation
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