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Endocrine Abstracts (2012) 29 OC2.3

ICEECE2012 Oral Communications Thyroid Clinical I (6 abstracts)

Thyroid hormone levels in euthyroid young men are associated with body composition and metabolic parameters

G. Roef , Y. Taes , B. Lapauw , K. Wierckx & J. Kaufman


Universitary Hospital of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.


Introduction: Thyroid disorders affect metabolism and body composition; however, literature data have been conflicting on whether this is also the case for thyroid hormone levels within the euthyroid range. Therefore, we have investigated the relationship between indices of thyroid status and both body composition and metabolic parameters in a population of healthy euthyroid men.

Methods: Healthy male siblings (n=941, 25–45 years, median BMI 24.6) were recruited in a cross-sectional, population-based study; a history or treatment of thyroid disease and positive thyroid auto-immunity were exclusion criteria. Body composition and muscle cross-sectional area were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Total (TT3, TT4) and free thyroid hormones (FT3, FT4), TSH, Thyroxin Binding globulin (TBG) and reverse T3 (rT3) were determined using immunoassays.

Results: FT3, TT3 and TBG were positively associated with BMI, fat mass and serum leptin (all P values between 0.02 and 0.0001), whereas FT4 and TT4 were solely associated with fat mass and serum leptin ((+); P values <0.005). Inverse associations between lean mass (P<0.005) and other muscular parameters and thyroid hormones were observed. Higher levels of (F) T3 and TBG were associated with lower insulin sensitivity, as assessed by HOMA-IR (P=0.0001). No associations between TSH and body composition or metabolic parameters were seen.

Conclusion: Thyroid hormone levels were positively associated with fat mass and leptin and inversely with indices of muscle mass and insulin sensitivity in this population of healthy young men with well characterized euthyroidism. Direction and underlying mechanisms of these robust and coherent associations are presently not known.

Standardized estimates of mixed effects model describing the relationship between thyroid hormones (independent) and body composition and metabolic parameters (dependent)

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This work was supported, however funding details are unavailable.

Table 1
TSH FT3 TT3 FT4 TT4 rT3 TBG
Weight (kg) −0.01±0.03 P=0.9 0.16±0.03 P<0.0001 0.14±0.03 P<0.0001 −0.02±0 .03 P=0.6 0.04±0.03 P=0.2 −0.04±0.03 P=0.08 0.09±0.03 P=0.004
BMI (kg/m2) −0.01±0.03 P=0.9 0.18±0.03 P<0.0001 0.15±0.03 P<0.0001 −0.03±0.03 P=0.4 0.03±0.03 P=0.3 −0.02±0.02 P=0.2 0.09±0.03 P=0.004
Whole body fat mass (kg) 0.01±0.02 P=0.9 0.04±0.02 P=0.02 0.06±0.02 P=0.0005 0.06±0.02 P=0.0006 0.10±0.02 P<0.0001 0.06±0.02 P=0.0007 0.1±0.02 P<0.0001
Whole body lean mass (kg) −0.01±0.01 P=0.6 −0.02±0.02 P=0.1 −0.05±0.01 P=0.0003 −0.04±0.01 P=0.004 −0.09±0.01 P<0.0001 −0.06±0.02 P<0.0001 −0.1±0.01 P<0.0001
HOMA-IR0.03±0.03 P=0.3 0.12±0.03 P=0.0001 0.12±0.03 P<0.0001 −0.02±0.03 P=0.6 0.07±0.03 P=0.03 −0.06±0.03 P=0.04 0.12±0.03 P<0.0001
Leptin (μg/l) 0.05±0.02 P=0.03 0.09±0.02 P=0.0001 0.08±0.02 P=0.0002 0.07±0.02 P=0.003 0.12±0.02 P<0.0001 0.07±0.02 P=0.003 0.11±0.02 P<0.0001

Volume 29

15th International & 14th European Congress of Endocrinology

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