ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship of the levels of serum androgens with lipid metabolism in middle-aged and elderly men in Zunyi, Guizhou.

METHODSUsing the stratified cluster sampling method, we conducted a questionnaire investigation and physical examinations among 437 men in Zunyi City. We divided the subjects into a middle-aged (40－64 ［53.20 ± 7.41］ years, n = 269) and an elderly group (=≥65 ［70.63 ± 4.66］ years, n = 168) and collected fasting elbow venous blood samples from them for measuring the levels of total testosterone (TT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), luteinizing hormone (LH), total cholesterol (TCH), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), calculated free testosterone (cFT), free testosterone index (FTI), and testosterone secretion index (TSI).

RESULTSCompared with the elderly group, the middle-aged males showed significantly lower SHBG, LH, HDL and LDL, and higher cFT, FTI, TSI, TG and TCH (all P < 0.05). TT and SHBG were negatively correlated with TG, TCH, HDL and LDL, while cFT was positively correlated with TCH, and so was FTI with TG, TCH with LDL, and TSI with TCH, HDL and LDL (all P < 0.05), but LH was negatively correlated with TG, TCH and LDL (all P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that TT and SHBG were negatively correlated with TG, TCH, HDL and LDL, and so was LH with TCH, HDL and LDL (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIn the middle-aged and elderly men in Zunyi, low concentrations of TT, SHBG and LH were associated with the increased risk of high-TCH and -LDL dyslipidemia, low concentrations of TT and SHBG with that of high-TG dyslipidemia, while high concentrations of TT, SHBG and LH with that of low-HDL dyslipidemia.