title: The effects of oestrogens and their receptors on cardiometabolic health.
abstract: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the leading causes of mortality in developed countries. The incidence of CVD is sexually dimorphic, and research has focused on the contribution of sex steroids to the development and progression of the cardiometabolic syndrome, which is defined as a clustering of interrelated risk factors that promote the development of atherosclerosis (which can lead to CVD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Data are inconclusive as to how sex steroids and their respective receptors increase or suppress the risk of developing the cardiometabolic syndrome and thus CVD. In this Review, we discuss the potential role, or roles, of sex hormones in cardiometabolic health by first focusing on the influence of oestrogens and their receptors on the risk of developing cardiometabolic syndrome and CVD. We also highlight what is known about testosterone and its potential role in protecting against the development of the cardiometabolic syndrome and CVD. Given the inconclusive nature of the data regarding the direct effects of each sex hormone, we advocate and highlight the importance of studying the relative levels and the ratio of sex hormones to each other, as well as the use of cross sex hormone therapy and its effect on cardiometabolic health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile.
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morselli
authors.affiliation: Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas 1, 3083-864, Brazil.|Cedars-Sinai Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute, Department of Biomedical Research, Los Angeles, California 90048, USA.
authors.forename: Roberta S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS) and Center for Molecular Studies of the Cell (CEMC), Santiago 8380000, Chile.|Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Odontológicas (ICOD), Facultad de Odontología, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380492, Chile.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Criollo
authors.affiliation: Applied Physiology and Advanced Imaging Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of Texas at Arlington, Texas 76019, USA.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA.
authors.forename: Biff F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.affiliation: Cedars-Sinai Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute, Department of Biomedical Research, Los Angeles, California 90048, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Clegg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004967:Estrogens / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017697:Premenopause; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013739:Testosterone / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D013739:Testosterone