Abstract
Objective: Women with metabolic syndrome (MetS) have higher endogenous testosterone (T) levels than unaffected women. This study investigated whether hyperandrogenemia (HA) was a marker for increased cardiometabolic risk in reproductively normal premenopausal women. Methods: Reproductive hormones and metabolic parameters were assessed in 198 women with regular menses and no clinical hyperandrogenism (eumenorrheic [EM]). Hyperandrogenic EM women were compared with 110 women with NIH criteria polycystic ovary syndrome. Results: Twenty-two percent of EM women had HA. Levels of non–sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG)-bound T were elevated in 68% of women, total T levels were elevated in 43% of women, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels were elevated in 30% of women. The prevalence of HA increased with BMI category (P = 0.01): 12% for BMI < 25 kg/m2, 22% for BMI of 25 to 30 kg/m2, and 31% for BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2. MetS (adjusted odds ratio 2.9; 95% CI: 1.2-6.9) and dysglycemia risks (adjusted odds ratio 2.7; 95% CI: 1.2-5.8) were increased in hyperandrogenic EM women compared with normoandrogenic EM women, with adjustment for BMI. SHBG levels were independently associated with these metabolic end points (P < 0.001), whereas androgen levels were not. A cluster analysis confirmed that there was a discrete subset of EM women with HA and metabolic abnormalities. Conclusions: HA is common in EM women and is associated with increased risks for MetS and dysglycemia. However, low SHBG levels rather than elevated androgen levels may be the primary predictor of this relationship with metabolic dysfunction.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 106-113 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Obesity |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2020 |
Funding
agencies: This research was supported by grants P50 HD044405 (AD), R01 HD085227 (AD), K12 HD055884 (LCT), and K23 HD090274 (LCT) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Some hormone assays were performed at the University of Virginia Center for Research in Reproduction Ligand Assay and Analysis Core, which is supported by grant U54 HD28934 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Research reported in this publication was also supported, in part, by grant UL1 TR00015 from the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Endocrinology
- Nutrition and Dietetics