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
. 2024 Mar;34(3):836-840.
doi: 10.1007/s11695-024-07075-x. Epub 2024 Jan 29.

Evaluation of the Incidence of Low Testosterone Levels in Young Male Adults with Moderate to Severe Obesity-Single-Centre Study from India

Shashank S Shah  1 , Elmutaz Abdalla Mekki Kanani  2 , Sushil Kumar Kharat  1 , Poonam S Shah  1 , Radhika Milind Shah  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of the Incidence of Low Testosterone Levels in Young Male Adults with Moderate to Severe Obesity-Single-Centre Study from India

Shashank S Shah et al. Obes Surg. 2024 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: With the increase in obesity epidemic among Asians, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of obesity on this population. Low testosterone levels are known to be associated with obesity. This is the 1st study from Asia to evaluate incidence and magnitude of hypotestosteronemia in young adults with BMI more than 32.5 kg/m2 defined as moderate to severe obesity in Asians.

Materials and methods: One hundred thirty-four male patients with BMI more than 32.5 kg/m2, between 18 and 30 years old who visited a single bariatric facility between 2017 and 2020, were evaluated with BMI, total and free testosterone levels and clinical features of gynecomastia, hypogonadism, and thinning of pubic and armpit hair. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and ANOVA test.

Results: 60.4% of patients (84/134) had low testosterone levels (< 300 ng/dl) and 23.9% (32/134) had levels between 300 and 400 ng/dl. 89.6% patients (120/134 had gynecomastia, 60.4% (81/134) had thinning of pubic and arm pit hair, and 62.7% (84/134) had hypogonadism. Testosterone levels showed a decreasing trend with increasing BMI, but it was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Obesity is one of the important etiologies of hypotestosteronemia and its manifestations in young adults. The actual incidence may be significantly higher than what is reported in the literature. High-quality research is required to address questions of diagnosis and best treatment options.

Keywords: Hypogonadism; Hypotestosteronemia; Obesity; Testosterone.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Tyagi V, Scordo M, Yoon RS, et al. Revisiting the role of testosterone: are we missing something? Rev Urol. 2017;19(1):16–24. https://doi.org/10.3909/riu0716 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Davis SR, Wahlin-Jacobsen S. Testosterone in women–the clinical significance. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2015;3(12):980–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(15)00284-3 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pintana H, Chattipakorn N, Chattipakorn S. Testosterone deficiency, insulin-resistant obesity and cognitive function. Metab Brain Dis. 2015;30(4):853–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-015-9655-3 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mushannen T, Cortez P, Stanford FC, et al. Obesity and hypogonadism-a narrative review highlighting the need for high-quality data in adolescents. Children (Basel). 2019;6(5):63. https://doi.org/10.3390/children6050063 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kelly DM, Jones TH. Testosterone and obesity. Obes Rev. 2015;16:581–606. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12282 . - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources