Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction

Vitamin D (VitD) is thought to be essential for adequate testosterone (T) secretion in men. In the absence of D-hypovitaminosis, their blood T levels and T to estradiol (E2) ratio values are higher relative to those with VitD deficiency. The correlation between VitD levels and androgenization indices in men of different ages has not been practically studied.

The aim

To study blood levels of T and the androgen-estrogen balance depending on the blood concentration of VitD in young and middle-aged men.

Material and methods

47 men aged 23–59 years were examined: 1 group – young males (32.3 ± 1.1) yrs, n = 20; 2 group – middle age (53.0 ± 1.0) yrs without Diabetes Mellitus Type2 (DM2), n = 15; 3 group – middle age (54.0 ± 1.1) yrs with DM2, n = 12. In all three groups, the mean values of body mass index (BMI) did not differ from each other. Blood levels of total T, E2, and 25-OH VitD were determined in the patients by enzyme immunoassay. VitD insufficiency and deficiency were established according to the Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline (2011). The studies were performed in the fall-winter period of 2020-2021.

Statistical analysis

SPSS 19.0 statistical software (IBM Corp., Armonk NY, US) Student’s t-test, χ² method and Pearson correlation (r).

Results

The mean values of blood VitD levels in young men were significantly higher than those of middle-aged individuals (P<0.05). At the same time, they did not differ between the patients with and without DM2. In middle-aged patients of both groups, there was a significant decrease in the average values ​​of blood T and T/E2 values ​​relative to young men. At the same time, the frequency of androgen deficiency was significantly higher in group 2 (χ² = 4.49; P <0.05) and in DM2 patients (χ² = 5.75; P<0.05) compared to young men. However, the incidence of D-hypovitaminosis (blood VitD levels < 30.0 ng/ml), was not significantly different in middle-aged individuals than in men in group 1. Meanwhile, there was found a positive correlation between the blood VitD level and the index of the relative androgenization – T/E2 values, (r = 0.321; P<0.05) in the general group of examined patients.

Conclusion

Blood VitD content in middle-aged men, regardless of the presence or absence of DM2, is significantly lower in comparison with young men. A decrease in the blood levels of VitD can be a predictor of androgen–estrogen imbalance in men regardless of age.

Keywords

Vitamin D, sex hormones, androgen–estrogen balance.