Association between testosterone levels and the metabolic syndrome in adult men.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the relationship between testosterone levels and the metabolic syndrome (MS) in men older than 45 years.


METHODS
Six hundred and sixty men (45-70 years) selected from 2906 participants of a population screening for prostate cancer were included in this study. Testosterone and the components of MS were assessed in all men. MS was diagnosed according to NCEP-ATP III criteria. Triglycerides (TG)/HDL-cholesterol (chol) index was calculated.


RESULTS
The presence of MS was inversely associated with testosterone (χ2, p < 0.001), independently of age (OR 0.802, CI 95%: 0.724-0.887, p < 0.0001). Hypertension was the most frequent abnormality observed followed by elevated TG and waist circumference (WC). Testosterone correlated positively with HDL-chol (r: 0.14, p < 0.0001) and negatively with body mass index (BMI)(r: -0.29, p < 0.0001), WC (r: -0.26, p < 0.0001), TG (r: -0.20, p < 0.0001), TG/HDL-chol (r: -0.20, p < 0.0001), glucose (r: -0.11, p = 0.005) and MS score (r: -0.23, p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results show that in men older than 45 years, as long as testosterone levels decline, the prevalence of MS increases, independently of age. The correlations found between testosterone and four of the five components of MS, as well as with BMI and TG/HDL-chol ratio, a surrogate marker of insulin resistance, suggest considering male hypogonadism as a determinant of developmental abnormalities typical of MS.
Clinical Biochemistry Department, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, INFIBIOC, Universidad de Buenos Aires , Buenos Aires , Argentina and.
Halina
H
Grosman
Mónica
M
Rosales
Bibiana
B
Fabre
Carlos
C
Nolazco
Osvaldo
O
Mazza
Gabriela
G
Berg
Viviana
V
Mesch
D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000502:physiology
D014280:Triglycerides; D013739:Testosterone; D002784:Cholesterol
HDL-cholesterol; hypogonadism; insulin resistance; triglycerides; waist circumference