Elevated serum testosterone associated with reduced blood pressure parameters: Study
China: Increased levels of serum testosterone provide protection against hypertension in males, suggests a recent study in the journal Atherosclerosis. However, in obese men, this protective effect of serum testosterone on blood pressure parameters and hypertension is hampered.
Zhenxing Mao, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, PR China, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the effects of serum testosterone, obesity, and their interaction on blood pressure (BP) parameters and hypertension among Chinese rural adults.
For this purpose, the researchers recruited a total of 6199 adults from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used for measuring serum testosterone. The association between testosterone, hypertension, and BP parameters (including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were evaluated using logistic regression and linear regression. A generalized linear model was performed to identify the interactive effects of testosterone and obesity on hypertension.
Key findings of the study include:
· High levels of serum testosterone were associated with a lower prevalence of hypertension in males (odds ratio (OR): 0.69).
· After stratification by obesity, observed associations were only found in non-obese males.
· Each one-unit increase in ln-testosterone was associated with a 1.23 mmHg decrease in SBP, 0.97 mmHg decrease in DBP, and 1.05 mmHg decrease in MAP among males.
· Interactive effects between testosterone and obesity on hypertension and BP parameters were found, indicating that protective effects of serum testosterone on hypertension and BP parameters were counteracted and accompanied by increased values of obesity-related indicators in males, and additional testosterone increased BP parameters and prevalence of hypertension at high levels of waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio in females.
"Our findings show that elevated levels of serum testosterone were associated with decreased BP parameters and prevalent hypertension in males, and obesity modifying effects of serum testosterone on BP parameters and hypertension," concluded the authors.
Reference:
The study titled, "Interaction between testosterone and obesity on hypertension: A population-based cross-sectional study," is published in the journal Atherosclerosis.
DOI: https://www.atherosclerosis-journal.com/article/S0021-9150(21)01191-6/fulltext
