Association of Sex Hormones and Fat Distribution in Men with Different Obese and Metabolic Statuses

Abstract

Ying-Hui Zhou,1,* Yue Guo,1,2,* Fang Wang,3,* Ci-La Zhou,1 Chen-Yi Tang,1 Hao-Neng Tang,4 De-Wen Yan,5 Hou-De Zhou1 1National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Metabolic Bone Diseases, Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Stomatology, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second XiangYa Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Endocrinology, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hou-De ZhouNational Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory for Metabolic Bone Diseases, and Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, Hunan, People’s Republic of China, Tel [phone], Fax [phone], Email [email protected]: Although several studies have explored the association of sex hormones with glucose metabolism, the association between sex hormones and body fat distribution, which is closely related to insulin resistance, has not been fully elucidated. We have tried to explore the relationship of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) with visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) mass in Chinese men with different obese and metabolic statuses.Patients and Methods: A total of 128 men from the Health Management Center of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University were collected and grouped in accordance with their obese and metabolic syndrome (MS) statuses: metabolically healthy non-overweight/obese men (MHNO), metabolically healthy overweight/obese men (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese men (MUO). Multiple regression analyses were performed to estimate contributions of sex hormones levels to the variations of body fat distribution and the contributions of body fat distribution to the variations of sex hormone levels.Results: With fat mass parameters as independent variables, SAT had a strong negative association with T in MHNO (β = − 2.772, P = 0.034), VAT was positively correlated with E2 in MHO (β = 22.269, P = 0.009), and SAT was negatively associated with T in MUO (β = − 3.315, P = 0.010). With sex hormones as independent variables, E2 positively correlated with VAT (β = − 176.259, P = 0.048), while T negatively correlated with VAT in MHO (β = 183.150, P = 0.029). In MUO, an inverse association of T with SAT was observed (β = − 213.689, P = 0.021).Conclusion: E2 and VAT had a mutual influence, thus resulting in a vicious circle, and the negative correlation between T and VAT may be related to the decrease of the MS occurrence in the MHO group. There were bi-directional relationships between sex hormones and fat distribution in men with different obese and metabolic statuses.Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-EOC-16010194. Retrospectively registered.Keywords: sex hormone, body fat distribution, metabolic syndrome, obesity, Chinese

Keywords

• sex hormone
• body fat distribution
• metabolic syndrome
• obesity
• chinese