The following is a summary of “Sex Hormones and Diabetes in 45- to 74-year-old Men and Postmenopausal Women: The Hispanic Community Health Study,” published in the July 2023 issue of Endocrinology & Metabolism by Persky, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to examine the relationships of endogenous sex hormones with incident diabetes, prediabetes, and diabetes traits in postmenopausal women and men aged 45 to 74 years without diabetes at baseline.

A total of 693 postmenopausal women and 1,015 men participating in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos were included. Participants were followed for 6 years. Baseline hormones, including estradiol, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), testosterone, and bioavailable testosterone (in men), were measured. Associations between these hormones and incident diabetes, prediabetes, and diabetes traits were analyzed using multivariable Poisson and linear regressions.

In contrast to the shift of normoglycemia to prediabetes, testosterone was not negatively linked with the progression of diabetes in men from prediabetes (incidence rate ratio [IRR] for 1 SD increase in testosterone: 0.821; 95% CI, 0.676, 0.997; P = 0.046). The homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and increased fasting insulin were positively correlated with estradiol. In women, SHBG was inversely associated with changes in glycosylated hemoglobin, post-load glucose, and conversion from prediabetes to diabetes (IRR = 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44, 0.86, P = 0.005) but not from normoglycemia to prediabetes. Associations with other hormones varied across glycemic measures. The stronger associations of testosterone and SHBG with the transition from prediabetes to diabetes than from normoglycemia to prediabetes suggest that they may play a role in the later stages of diabetes development. The specific biologic pathways by which sex hormones affect glucose homeostasis require further investigation.

The analysis demonstrated the associations of endogenous sex hormones with incident diabetes, prediabetes, and diabetes traits in a diverse population of postmenopausal women and men. The findings highlighted potential sex-specific differences in the hormonal regulation of glucose metabolism and underscored the importance of further research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Source: academic.oup.com/jcem/article/108/7/1709/6986299