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The Interrelationship between Overweight, Obesity and Hypogonadism among Men

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Louay Labban
Louay Labban
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Introduction
Overweight and Obesity are conditions which are considered
as major health risks all over the world. Obese people suffer from
at least one disease, or from two or even more chronic diseases
associated with obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension,
cardiovascular disease, gallbladder disease, and cancers [1]. Ageing
process in men causes a gradual decline in serum testosterone
levels and it’s connected to accumulation of the abdominal fats [2].
In men, obesity is the single most important factor associated with
low testosterone, overriding the effects of age and co-morbidities.
This decline in total testosterone levels is due to the obesity-
associated lowering in sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) [3].
Studies have shown that fat-derived adipokines and pro-

suppression. In addition, preclinical evidence has demonstrated

This bidirectional relationship between low testosterone levels
and obesity is supported by clinical studies. Weight loss increases
testosterone proportionally to weight loss and testosterone
treatment reduces body fat making this hormone a potential
treatment of overweight and obesity [4].
On the other hand, obesity is associated with hypogonadism.
While this association is widely accepted, the underlying
mechanisms remain unclear. Furthermore, obesity is a risk factor
for hypogonadism and equally hypogonadism may be a risk
factor for obesity. Morbidly obese men that underwent a Roux-
en-Y gastric bypass operation noticed an improvement in their
testosterone level with improvements in hypogonadal symptoms,
which allowed discontinuation of exogenous testosterone therapy.
This demonstrates reversal of hypogonadism following weight loss
with restoration of gonadal function [5].

development and treatment of obesity. Interventional studies offer
potential answers to this relationship. These studies have shown
that restoring testosterone levels have favorable effects on visceral

no exaggeration to say that in modern medicine and in the science
of endocrinology, testosterone is no longer a marginal hormone and
can be used in prevention and treatment of obesity and its related
health complications [6]. The fear that testosterone administration
to elderly men may increase the risk of prostate cancer is not
        
should only be recommended by health care provider with an
extensive experience.
References
1. Must A, McKeown NM (2012) The Disease Burden Associated with
Overweight and Obesity. In: De Groot LJ, Chrousos G, Dungan K, et
al. (Eds.) Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com,
Inc.2000.
2. Stanworth, RD, Jones TH (2008) Testosterone for the aging male; current
evidence and recommended practice. Clin Interv Aging 3(1): 25-44.
3. Fui MN, Dupuis P, Grossmann M (2014) Lowered testosterone in male
obesity: mechanisms, morbidity and management. Asian Journal of
Andrology 16(2): 223-231.
4. Muraleedharan V, Jones TH (2010) Testosterone and the metabolic
syndrome. Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab 1(5): 207-223.
5. Zouras S, Stephens JW, Price D (2017) Obesity-related hypogonadism: a
reversible condition. BMJ Case Rep. 2017 pii: bcr-2017-220416.
6. Saad F, Gooren LJ (2011) The Role of Testosterone in the Etiology and
Treatment of Obesity, the Metabolic Syndrome, and Diabetes Mellitus
Type 2. J Obes pii: 471584.
Labban L*
Department of Clinical Nutrition, Syria
*Corresponding author: Labban L, FADA, CCN, CNC, RD, Professor of Clinical Nutrition, P. O. Box 30440, Damascus, Syria
Submission: September 15, 2017; Published: October 13, 2017
The Interrelationship between Overweight, Obesity
and Hypogonadism among Men
Glob J Endocrinol Metab
Copyright © All rights are reserved by Labban L. 1(1). GJEM.000502. 2017.
CRIMSONpublishers
http://www.crimsonpublishers.com
Abbreviations: SHBG: Sex Hormone Binding Globulin
Perspective
ISSN 2637-8019
... O. E. Nelson, E. F. Chukwuma Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Amenorrhoea in obese infertility women. This confirms the findings of Yunhui et al. [51] and Labban, [52] which reported that BMI is positively associated with Amenorrheoa and Hypogonadism. However, the study observed no correlation between BMI and Hypergonadism and Hypergonadotropic in infertile obese women. ...
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Must A, McKeown NM (2012) The Disease Burden Associated with Overweight and Obesity. In: De Groot LJ, Chrousos G, Dungan K, et al. (Eds.) Endotext [Internet].