Association between testosterone and serum soluble α-klotho in U.S. males: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE: Testosterone plays a crucial role in males, and the deficiency of testosterone leads to multiple adverse health conditions. Klotho is a recently discovered protein encoded by antiaging gene klotho. Both the levels of testosterone and klotho change with aging, so the relationship between them is worth exploring. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether total testosterone is associated with serum klotho levels in U.S. males aged 40–79 years. METHODS: Included in this study were 3750 male participants from the 2011 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, aged 40–79 years with included information on klotho and sex hormones. The sex steroid hormone levels and klotho concentrations were assayed in laboratories using the recommended methods according to Nutrition Examination Survey guidelines. The association between sex hormones and klotho was calculated using multivariate linear regression models after adjustment for several possible confounding variables. RESULTS: Among the 3750 participants, the total testosterone concentration was 399.048 ± 184.780 ng/dL, and the testosterone deficiency prevalence was 1160 (30.942%). The geometric mean of serum klotho levels was 791.000 pg/mL. In the adjusted models, klotho increased 0.165 pg/mL for every 1 ng/dL increase of total testosterone (p = 0.004). In addition, estradiol (β 2.232; 95% CI 0.588–3.876; p = 0.032) and sex hormone-binding globulin (β 2.013; 95% CI 1.173–2.583; p = 0.002) were also positively associated with klotho concentrations. CONCLUSION: This study reported a significant association between klotho and sex hormones in the U.S. male population. The levels of klotho in men increased with total testosterone, estradiol and sex hormone-binding globulin levels, which may have implications for future research and clinical practice. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-022-03265-3.