From the article:
Eric Orwoll, M.D., Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and colleagues studied 2,587 men age 65 to 99 (average age 73) who enrolled in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study between 2000 and 2002.
[…]
During the course of the study, which continued until March 2005, 56 percent of the men fell at least once. Those with lower bioavailable testosterone levels were significantly more likely to fall and to fall multiple times than those with higher levels–among the one-fourth of participants with the lowest testosterone levels, the risk for falling was 40 percent higher than among the one-fourth with the highest testosterone levels. The association was stronger in younger men (ages 65 to 69) and not apparent in men older than 80.
The association remained the same when the researchers factored in the scores on physical performance tests.
“Bioavailable testosterone concentration is associated with measures of physical performance, but the association of testosterone level to the risk of falling is apparent regardless of physical performance,” the authors write. “Thus, the mechanisms by which testosterone level affects the propensity to fall may involve other pathways.” For example, low testosterone levels could impair vision, thinking processes or coordination, increasing the risk for falls.