Endocrinol Metab.  2019 Jun;34(2):158-168. 10.3803/EnM.2019.34.2.158.

Associations of Metabolic Syndrome with Total Testosterone and Homocysteine Levels in Male Korean Workers

• Sung SH
• Kim NH
• Hong SP
• Lee JK
• Choi SJ

• KMID: 2450516
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2019.34.2.158

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Low testosterone is associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS), and homocysteine (Hcy) is elevated in individuals with MetS. We investigated the relationships of total testosterone (TT) and serum Hcy levels with MetS in male Korean workers.
METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study including 8,606 male workers, aged 20 to 58 years, who underwent a physical examination in 2015. MetS was diagnosed based on the criteria of the 2009 harmonized definition, while the Korean standard for waist circumference (WC) was used. Participants' biochemical parameters, including TT and serum Hcy, were measured, and participants were divided into quartiles. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the association of MetS and its individual components depending on TT and serum Hcy quartiles.
RESULTS
The prevalence of MetS in the study population was 16%. TT was lower in participants with MetS than in those without MetS (P<0.001). By contrast, Hcy level was similar between groups (P=0.694). In multiple logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio for the lowest TT quartile was 1.29 (95% confidence interval, 1.06 to 1.57) after adjusting for potential confounders. Participants with lower TT were more likely to have high WC, hypertriglyceridemia, and low high density lipoprotein levels. Serum Hcy levels were not significantly associated with MetS. Of the five components of MetS, only WC was significantly associated with serum Hcy.
CONCLUSION
In male Korean workers, TT may be an independent predictor of MetS, and serum Hcy levels could be a marker of abdominal obesity. However, future prospective studies are needed.

Keyword

Testosterone; Homocysteine; Metabolic syndrome; Odds ratio

MeSH Terms

Cross-Sectional Studies
Homocysteine*
Humans
Hypertriglyceridemia
Lipoproteins
Logistic Models
Male*
Obesity, Abdominal
Odds Ratio
Physical Examination
Prevalence
Prospective Studies
Testosterone*
Waist Circumference
Homocysteine
Lipoproteins
Testosterone

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Distribution of the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the number of MetS components depending on total testosterone (TT) and serum homocysteine (Hcy) quartiles in 8,606 male workers. (A) The number of MetS components was significantly different from the first (Q1) to the fourth (Q4) TT quartiles (P<0.001). However, the number of MetS components was not related to serum Hcy quartile (P=0.361). (B) The prevalence of MetS showed similar relationships with TT and serum Hcy quartiles (P<0.001 and P=0.361, respectively).

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