Open AccessHigher testosterone levels are associated with increased high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol in men with cardiovascular disease: results from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study
Author(s) -
Page Stephanie T.,
Mohr Beth A.,
Link Carol L.,
O'Donnell Amy B.,
Bremner William J.,
McKinlay John B.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
asian journal of andrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.701
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1745-7262
pISSN - 1008-682X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-7262.2008.00332.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endocrinology , testosterone (patch) , confounding , high density lipoprotein , cholesterol , dihydrotestosterone , population , radioimmunoassay , androgen , hormone , environmental health
Aim: To study the relationship between circulating androgens (total testosterone [TT], free testosterone [fT] and dihydrotestosterone [DHT]) and HDL‐C in men with and without CVD. Methods: Cross‐sectional analyses included 1 661 baseline samples from the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS), a population‐based cohort of men ages 40‐70 years. Serum hormones were measured by radioimmunoassay and HDL‐C was determined following precipitation of the lower density lipoproteins. CVD was determined by self‐report. Analyses were performed using multiple linear regression. Results: TT and HDL‐C were positively correlated in the entire sample ( r = 0.11, P = 0.0001). After adjusting for confounders, we found this relationship was mostly limited to the 209 men with CVD. Among men with CVD, TT ( P = 0.0004), fT ( P = 0.0172) and DHT ( P = 0.0128) were all positively correlated with HDL‐C, whereas in men without CVD only TT correlated with HDL‐C ( P = 0.0099). Conclusion: Our results suggest that if androgens contribute to CVD in middle‐aged men, the effect is not related to a suppressive effect of endogenous T on HDL‐C.