title: The variability of the serum estradiol level in men: effect of stress (college examinations), cigarette smoking, and coffee drinking on the serum sex hormone and other hormone levels.
abstract: The results of studies carried out to evaluate the relationship of estradiol to coronary heart disease and its risk factors in men have been conflicting. Three possible causes of these conflicting results are (a) an inherent variability of the estradiol level within individual men; (b) the confounding effects on the estradiol level of certain common exogenous factors such as psychological stress, cigarette smoking, and coffee drinking; and (c) methodology and study design. The present study was conducted to test in men the inherent variability of the serum estradiol level and the effects of psychological stress (college examinations), cigarette smoking, and coffee drinking on the serum estradiol level. Subsets of 41 men, 19-57 years of age, were studied. A highly significant correlation in the estradiol levels was found between two fasting samples taken 30 minutes, 19.1 (mean) days, 2-6 months, and 10-89 months apart. Neither the stress of college examinations nor 30 minutes of cigarette smoking or coffee drinking had any apparent effect on the serum estradiol level, even in the presence of a two- to fivefold increase in the level of other hormones in four subjects with an autonomic reaction (three to smoking and one to venipuncture). It appears that the serum estradiol level is remarkably stable in men when taken under controlled conditions and that neither inherent fluctuation in this level nor the effects of the exogenous factors as studied are responsible for the conflicting results.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY 10019.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003069:Coffee; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D005215:Fasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D003069:Coffee; D013739:Testosterone; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D019314:Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate