Opposite effects of breakfast vs. oral glucose on circulating androgen levels in healthy women.
Since certain hormone abnormalities can be food-dependent as in some cases of nodular adrenal hyperplasia, as a first step to study other more frequent endocrine disorders, using a standard meal as means of a more physiologic stimulus, we investigated in healthy women whether or not the changes in serum glucose, insulin, cortisol, and androgens are different following a breakfast than after oral glucose alone. Ten women (group 1) ingested a 725 kilocalories (173 kiloJoules) breakfast and ten women (group 2) ingested a 100-g glucose load at 8:00 A.M. Serum glucose, insulin, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), free testosterone (free-T), and androstenedione (A) were determined every 30 min for the next 2 h. Serum glucose rose higher in group 2 than in group 1 (p < or = 0.05), yet insulin increased similarly in both groups. In group 1 free-T and DHEAS increased at 30 min (p < or = 0.05) while cortisol decreased (p < or = 0.04); A did not change. On the contrary, in group 2 only a decrease in free-T (p < or = 0.01) was detected. In these healthy women, serum androgen changed inversely depending on the type and composition of the oral stimulus used. The simultaneous increase of serum insulin, free-T and DHEAS coinciding with a cortisol decrease may enhance insulin anabolic effects following breakfast, but not after oral glucose alone.
Parra
A
A
Departamento de Endocrinología, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, México, D.F.
Godoy
H
H
Ayala
J
J
Ramírez
A
A
Coria
I
I
Espinosa de los Monteros
A
A
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans
D000728:Androgens; D005947:Glucose