TY - JOUR
T1 - Body composition, not body weight, is related to cardiovascular disease risk factors and sex hormone levels in men
AU - Segal, K. R.
AU - Dunaif, A.
AU - Gutin, B.
AU - Albu, J.
AU - Nyman, A.
AU - Pi-Sunyer, F.
PY - 1987
Y1 - 1987
N2 - To clarify the independent relationships of obesity and overweight to cardiovascular disease risk factors and sex steroid levels, three age-matched groups of men were studied: (i) 8 normal weight men, <15% body fat, by hydrostatic weighing; (ii) 16 overweight, obese men >25% body fat and 135-160% of ideal body weight (IBW); and (iii) 8 overweight, lean men, 136-160% IBW, but <15% fat. Diastolic blood pressure was significantly greater for the obese (mean±SEM, 82±2 mmHg) than the normal (71±2) and overweight lean (72±2) groups, as were low density lipoprotein levels (131±9 vs. 98+11 and 98+14 mg/dl), the ratio of high density lipoprotein to total cholesterol (0.207±0.01 vs. 0.308±0.03 and 0.302±.03), fasting plasma insulin (22±3 vs. 12±1 and 13±2 μU/ml), and the estradiol/testosterone ratio (0.076±0.01 vs. 0.042±0.02 and 0.052±0.02); P<0.05. Estradiol was 25% greater for the overweight lean group (40±5 pg/ml) than the obese (30±3 pg/ml) and normal groups (29±2 pg/ml), P=0.08, whereas total testosterone was significantly lower in the obese (499±33 ng/dl) compared with the normal and overweight, lean groups (759±82 ng/dl). Estradiol was uncorrelated with risk factors and the estradiol/testosterone ratio appeared to be a function of the reduced testosterone levels in obesity, not independently correlated with lipid levels after adjustment for body fat content. Furthermore, no risk factors were significantly different between the normal and overweight lean groups. We conclude that (a) body composition, rather than body weight per se, is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk factors; and (b) sex steroid alterations are related to body composition and are not an independent cardiovascular disease risk factor.
AB - To clarify the independent relationships of obesity and overweight to cardiovascular disease risk factors and sex steroid levels, three age-matched groups of men were studied: (i) 8 normal weight men, <15% body fat, by hydrostatic weighing; (ii) 16 overweight, obese men >25% body fat and 135-160% of ideal body weight (IBW); and (iii) 8 overweight, lean men, 136-160% IBW, but <15% fat. Diastolic blood pressure was significantly greater for the obese (mean±SEM, 82±2 mmHg) than the normal (71±2) and overweight lean (72±2) groups, as were low density lipoprotein levels (131±9 vs. 98+11 and 98+14 mg/dl), the ratio of high density lipoprotein to total cholesterol (0.207±0.01 vs. 0.308±0.03 and 0.302±.03), fasting plasma insulin (22±3 vs. 12±1 and 13±2 μU/ml), and the estradiol/testosterone ratio (0.076±0.01 vs. 0.042±0.02 and 0.052±0.02); P<0.05. Estradiol was 25% greater for the overweight lean group (40±5 pg/ml) than the obese (30±3 pg/ml) and normal groups (29±2 pg/ml), P=0.08, whereas total testosterone was significantly lower in the obese (499±33 ng/dl) compared with the normal and overweight, lean groups (759±82 ng/dl). Estradiol was uncorrelated with risk factors and the estradiol/testosterone ratio appeared to be a function of the reduced testosterone levels in obesity, not independently correlated with lipid levels after adjustment for body fat content. Furthermore, no risk factors were significantly different between the normal and overweight lean groups. We conclude that (a) body composition, rather than body weight per se, is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk factors; and (b) sex steroid alterations are related to body composition and are not an independent cardiovascular disease risk factor.
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U2 - 10.1172/JCI113159
DO - 10.1172/JCI113159
M3 - Article
C2 - 3654969
AN - SCOPUS:0023546923
SN - 0021-9738
VL - 80
SP - 1050
EP - 1055
JO - Journal of Clinical Investigation
JF - Journal of Clinical Investigation
IS - 4
ER -