title: Indices of adiposity and thyroid hormones in euthyroid postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to evaluate the association between thyroid hormones and indices of obesity in a sample of euthyroid postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum levels of TSH, free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4) as well as BMI and waist:hip ratio (WHR) were evaluated in 194 healthy euthyroid postmenopausal women. Ultrasonography was used to assess abdominal fat layers (subcutaneous fat (SF), preperitoneal fat (PF), and SF:PF ratio). Indices of adiposity were defined as high vs low depending on the median value of the assessed parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After multivariate adjustment for traditional risk factors, lower FT4 levels and a higher FT3:FT4 ratio predicted higher SF mass (FT4, Exp(β)=0.035, P=0.020 and FT3:FT4, Exp(β)=2.374, P=0.018), whereas higher FT3 predicted higher PF mass (Exp(β)=2.815, P=0.032). Women with FT3:FT4 above the highest quartile had a significantly higher SF mass as compared to women in the lowest quartile (1.81 ± 0.62 cm vs 1.54 ± 0.46 cm, P=0.027). BMI had a positive independent association with TSH (Exp(β)=1.829, P=0.018). Finally, FT3 was significantly associated with SF mass among women with higher BMI (FT3, β=0.259, P=0.040) and women with higher WHR (β=0.309, P=0.020) but not among women with lower BMI or WHR values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thyroid hormone levels, and in particular FT3, were independently associated with SF and PF in euthyroid postmenopausal women, and this association was mainly evident in women with higher BMIs. On the other hand, among traditional indices of adiposity, only TSH was positively associated with BMI. Larger prospective studies are needed to evaluate the significance of the present findings.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece ilambrinoudaki@aretaieio.uoa.gr.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lambrinoudaki
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Armeni
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Demetrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rizos
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Georgiopoulos
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Foteini
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Athanasouli
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Triantafyllou
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Panoulis
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Areti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Augoulea
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Creatsa
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alexandrou
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alevizaki
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and GynecologyHormonal LaboratoryAretaieio Hospital, University of Athens, 76 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of TherapeuticsAlexandra Hospital, University of Athens, 80 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, GreeceDepartment of NeurologyAiginiteion Hospital, University of Athens, 72-74 Vas. Sofias Avenue, GR-11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Kimon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stamatelopoulos
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones