[Waist-hip ratio correlates with the levels of reproductive endocrine hormones in abdominally obese males].
OBJECTIVE
To study the impact of abdominal obesity on the production of male reproductive endocrine hormones.


METHODS
This study included 342 male patients at the andrology clinic, aged 19 -47 years and higher than 160 cm. We measured their waistlines, hiplines and waist-hip ratio, detected the levels of serum estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and free testosterone (FT) by chemiluminescence and radioimmunoassay, and analyzed the correlation of the waist-hip ratio with the levels of reproductive endocrine hormones. Abdominal obesity was defined as the waist-hip ratio > 0.9.


RESULTS
In the 342 male patients, there were 62 cases of abdominal obesity and 280 cases of the normal somatotype (waist-hip ratio < or = 0.9). The waist-hip ratio was negatively correlated with the T level (r = -0.163, P = 0.003) and the T/LH ratio (r = -0.13, P = 0.02). Both the T level and T/LH ratio were significantly reduced in the abdominal obesity patients ([14.51 +/- 4.53] nmol/L and 2.26 +/- 0.36) as compared with the normal somatotype controls ([17.21 +/- 4.23] nmol/L and 4.61 +/- 0.19) (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The waist-hip ratio has a significant negative correlation with the T level and T/LH ratio, and the serum T level is significantly lower in men with abdominal obesity than in those of the normal somatotype.
Center of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Region, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210002, China.
Yong
Y
Shao
Rong
R
Zeng
Qi
Q
Yao
Kai
K
Fan
Jun
J
Jing
Yi-Feng
YF
Ge
Bing
B
Yao
Xin-Yi
XY
Xia
Xue-Jun
XJ
Shang
Yu-Feng
YF
Huang
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000097:blood*; D013008:Somatotypes; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio; D055815:Young Adult
D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone