Associations among Mammographic Density, Circulating Sex Hormones, and Polymorphisms in Sex Hormone Metabolism Genes in Postmenopausal Women

Background Incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) increases significantly in postmenopausal women, which is assumed to be an imbalance between serum androgen and estrogen levels. However, studies assessing serum sex hormones and CAD are few and have shown conflicting results. Objective To compare serum sex hormone levels and traditional risk factors among postmenopausal women with angiographically proven CAD and without CAD. Method The study included consecutive postmenopausal women undergoing coronary angiography in our institute from May 2016 to June 2017. The clinical and coronary angiographic data and traditional risk factors were assessed. Fasting serum levels of estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and insulin were measured. Results A total of 121 postmenopausal women were included in the study; 69 were CAD and 52 without CAD. Single-vessel disease was most common (55.1%), followed by double-vessel disease (24.6%) and triple-vessel disease (20.3%). Women with CAD had significantly lower estradiol/testosterone (E2/T) ratio (3.7 ± 2.6 vs. 5.4 ± 4.2, p = 0.008) compared with non-CAD group. SHBG, DHEA-S, and insulin levels were similar in CAD and non-CAD groups. The serum level of estradiol predicted the E2/T ratio (r = 0.316, p < 0.001) and positively associated with DHEA (r = 0.181, p = 0.047). Testosterone was negatively associated with E2/T ratio (r = – 0.682, p < 0.001). There was no significant correlation of estrogen, testosterone, or E2/T ratio to lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL) in women with CAD. Conclusion E2/T ratio was significantly lowered in postmenopausal women with CAD. E2/T ratio may be a used a predictor of CAD in postmenopausal women

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Associations between body shape across the life course and adulthood concentrations of sex hormones in men and pre- and postmenopausal women: a multicohort study

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114521001732 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Ya-Wen Chen ◽

Dong Hang ◽

Ane S. Kværner ◽

Edward Giovannucci ◽

Mingyang Song

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Postmenopausal Women ◽

Sex Hormones ◽

Premenopausal Women ◽

Sex Hormone ◽

Moderate Increase ◽

Stable Group ◽

Blood Draw ◽

Percentage Difference ◽

Medium Increase

Abstract The objective was to investigate associations between life-course adiposity and sex hormone concentrations: trajectory of adiposity from age 5 to 40 (premenopausal)/60 (postmenopausal women and men) in relation to levels of oestrone (E1), oestradiol (E2), sex hormone-binding globulins (SHBG), testosterone in 4801 premenopausal and 6019 postmenopausal women in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and NHS II, and 2431 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We used group-based trajectory models to identify groups within each cohort based on recalled somatotypes and reported BMI. Multivariate linear regression models were used to compare sex hormone concentration across different trajectory groups. The mean age at blood draw was 64·1 ± 8·1 years for men, 59·4 ± 6·0 for postmenopausal and 44·1 ± 4·6 for premenopausal women. In men, compared with the medium-stable group, lean-marked increase and medium increase groups had lower levels of SHBG (percentage difference: −17 and −9 %) and testosterone (−15 and −13 %). In postmenopausal women, compared with the medium-stable group, lean-marked increase and medium increase groups had higher levels of E1 (21 and 34 %) and E2 (45 and 68 %) but lower level of SHBG (–29 and −35 %). In premenopausal women, compared with the lean-moderate increase group, medium-stable/increase and heavy-stable/increase groups had lower levels of SHBG (–6 and −28 %). Attained adulthood adiposity and middle-life weight gain were associated with lower SHBG and testosterone in men, higher E1 and E2 and lower SHBG in postmenopausal women, and lower SHBG in premenopausal women. The study indicates the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life course for homoeostasis of sex hormones.

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