Question:easy
Which hormone increases with age?
Which hormone increases with age?
Show Hint
Think of the hormone behind senile osteoporosis and falling vitamin D.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- GH
- Prolactin
- Parathormone
- Insulin
Show Solution
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Pick the hormone whose blood concentration trends upward across the human lifespan. The answer is parathormone, the secretory product of the parathyroid glands.
Step 2: Older adults commonly have lower active vitamin D ($1,25$-dihydroxycholecalciferol) because the kidney's $1\alpha$-hydroxylase activity falls. Less vitamin D means less intestinal calcium uptake, which nudges serum calcium down.
Step 3: A drop in ionised calcium is sensed by the calcium-sensing receptor on parathyroid chief cells, driving compensatory release of PTH. Over time this keeps PTH levels elevated in the elderly.
Step 4: Contrast this with the other choices: GH output falls (the somatopause), insulin action weakens leading to glucose intolerance, and prolactin stays unrelated to ageing. None of them rise the way PTH does.
\[\boxed{\text{Parathormone}}\]
Step 2: Older adults commonly have lower active vitamin D ($1,25$-dihydroxycholecalciferol) because the kidney's $1\alpha$-hydroxylase activity falls. Less vitamin D means less intestinal calcium uptake, which nudges serum calcium down.
Step 3: A drop in ionised calcium is sensed by the calcium-sensing receptor on parathyroid chief cells, driving compensatory release of PTH. Over time this keeps PTH levels elevated in the elderly.
Step 4: Contrast this with the other choices: GH output falls (the somatopause), insulin action weakens leading to glucose intolerance, and prolactin stays unrelated to ageing. None of them rise the way PTH does.
\[\boxed{\text{Parathormone}}\]
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