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Associations between testosterone and metabolic syndrome in depressed and non‐depressed older men and women
Author(s) -
Wit Anouk E.,
Giltay Erik J.,
Boer Marrit K.,
Bosker Fokko J.,
Mast Roos C.,
Comijs Hannie C.,
Oude Voshaar Richard C.,
Schoevers Robert A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.5040
Subject(s) - testosterone (patch) , medicine , metabolic syndrome , national cholesterol education program , endocrinology , depression (economics) , odds ratio , major depressive disorder , sex hormone binding globulin , prospective cohort study , confidence interval , cohort , cohort study , hormone , obesity , androgen , amygdala , economics , macroeconomics
Objectives Older age and major depressive disorder (MDD) are both risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Testosterone has been associated with MDD and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in men, although associations in women are less clear. Therefore, we investigated whether testosterone is associated with MetS and whether this association is different for depressed and non‐depressed older men and women. Methods In this prospective cohort study, 478 participants (349 patients with MDD and 129 controls) aged between 60 and 93 years from the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons were included. Total testosterone (TT) and sex‐hormone binding globulin levels were measured using a second‐generation radioimmune assay. Free testosterone (FT) was calculated based on TT. MetS was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Results A higher risk for MetS was found in men with low FT and TT (odds ratio [OR]: 0.67, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.47‐0.95 and OR: 0.51, 95%CI: 0.34‐0.75), and in women with high FT (OR: 1.41, 95%CI: 1.08‐1.82). Strong associations in the same direction were found with adiposity, glucose, and plasma lipid MetS components at baseline, but not with changes in these components at 2‐year follow‐up. The associations did not significantly differ between MDD patients and controls. Conclusions Independently of having MDD, low testosterone levels in men and, in contrast, high testosterone levels in women were significantly associated with MetS and its components.