Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 May;65(5):503-9.
doi: 10.1093/gerona/glq002. Epub 2010 Jan 27.

Sex hormone-binding globulin as an independent predictor of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in men

Kishore M Lakshman  1 , Shalender Bhasin, Andre B Araujo
Affiliations

Sex hormone-binding globulin as an independent predictor of incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in men

Kishore M Lakshman et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010 May.

Abstract

Background: Low levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and total testosterone (T) in men have been associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). As total T and SHBG levels are highly correlated, we determined whether SHBG influences the risk of T2DM through T or whether SHBG is an independent predictor of T2DM.

Methods: Longitudinal analyses were conducted on men participating in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, a population-based study of men aged 40-70 years. Of 1,709 men enrolled in 1987-1989, 1,156 were evaluated 7-10 years later and 853 after 15-17 years. Analyses were restricted to 1,128 men without T2DM at baseline.

Results: Ninety new cases of T2DM were identified. After adjustment for age, body mass index, hypertension, smoking, alcohol intake, and physical activity, the hazard ratio (HR) for incident T2DM was 2.0 for each 1 SD decrease in SHBG (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.42-2.82, p < .001) and 1.29 for each 1 SD decrease in total T (95% CI, 1.01-1.66, p = .04). Free T was not associated with T2DM (HR = 1.03, 95% CI, 0.81-1.31, p = .79). The strong association of T2DM risk with SHBG persisted even after additional adjustment for free T (HR = 2.04, 95% CI, 1.44-2.87, p < .0001) or total T (HR = 1.95, 95% CI, 1.34-2.82, p = .0004).

Conclusions: SHBG is an independent predictor of incident T2DM even after adjusting for free T or total T. Free T is not significantly associated with T2DM. SHBG may contribute to the risk of T2DM through nonandrogenic mechanisms, which should be investigated as they may provide novel targets for diabetes prevention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Age- and body mass index–adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for incident type 2 diabetes mellitus associated with hormone quartile. Participants with hormone values in the 4th quartile serve as the reference category (HR = 1.00). Dashed line represents the reference line, where HR = 1.00.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Haffner SM, Shaten J, Stern MP, Smith GD, Kuller L. Low levels of sex hormone-binding globulin and testosterone predict the development of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in men. MRFIT Research Group. Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial. Am J Epidemiol. 1996;143(9):889–897. - PubMed
    1. Stellato RK, Feldman HA, Hamdy O, Horton ES, McKinlay JB. Testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, and the development of type 2 diabetes in middle-aged men: prospective results from the Massachusetts male aging study. Diabetes Care. 2000;23(4):490–494. - PubMed
    1. Oh J-Y, Barrett-Connor E, Wedick NM, Wingard DL. Endogenous sex hormones and the development of type 2 diabetes in older men and women: the Rancho Bernardo Study. Diabetes Care. 2002;25(1):55–60. - PubMed
    1. Svartberg J, Jenssen T, Sundsfjord J, Jorde R. The associations of endogenous testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin with glycosylated hemoglobin levels, in community dwelling men. The Tromso Study. Diabetes Metab. 2004;30(1):29–34. - PubMed
    1. Laaksonen DE, Niskanen L, Punnonen K, et al. Testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin predict the metabolic syndrome and diabetes in middle-aged men. Diabetes Care. 2004;27(5):1036–1041. - PubMed

Publication types