The Change in the Percent of Android and Gynoid Fat Mass Correlated with Increased Testosterone After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Chinese Obese Men: a 6-Month Follow-Up

Sex and Gender and Allostatic Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Risk and Disease

Cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of mortality and morbidity in adults worldwide. Multiple studies suggest that there are clinically relevant sex differences in cardiovascular disease. Women and men differ substantially in terms of prevalence, presentation, management, and outcomes of cardiovascular disease. To date, however, little is known about why cardiovascular disease affects women and men differently. Because many studies do not differentiate the concept of sex and gender, it is sometimes difficult to discriminate sociocultural vs biological contributors that drive observed clinical differences. Female sex has some biological advantages in relation to cardiovascular disease, but many of these advantages seem to disappear as soon as women develop cardiovascular risk factors (eg, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia). Furthermore, stress and allostatic load could play an important role in the relationship between sex/gender and cardiovascular diseases. In this narrative review, we argue that chronic stress and psychosocial factors might better encompass the patterns of allostatic load increases seen in women, while biological risk factors and unhealthy behaviours might be more important mechanisms that drive increased allostatic load in men. Indeed, men show allostatic load patterns that are more associated with impaired anthropometric, metabolic, and cardiovascular functioning and women have greater dysregulation in neuroendocrine and immune functioning. Thus gender-related factors might contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease especially through stress mechanisms. It is important to continue to study the mechanisms by which gender influences chronic stress, because chronic stress could influence modifiable gendered factors to promote cardiovascular disease prevention.

Association of Sex Hormones and Fat Distribution in Men with Different Obese and Metabolic Statuses

Purpose

Although several studies have explored the association of sex hormones with glucose metabolism, the association between sex hormones and body fat distribution, which is closely related to insulin resistance, has not been fully elucidated. We have tried to explore the relationship of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) with visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) mass in Chinese men with different obese and metabolic statuses.

Patients and Methods

A total of 128 men from the Health Management Center of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University were collected and grouped in accordance with their obese and metabolic syndrome (MS) statuses: metabolically healthy non-overweight/obese men (MHNO), metabolically healthy overweight/obese men (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese men (MUO). Multiple regression analyses were performed to estimate contributions of sex hormones levels to the variations of body fat distribution and the contributions of body fat distribution to the variations of sex hormone levels.

Results

With fat mass parameters as independent variables, SAT had a strong negative association with T in MHNO (β = −2.772, P = 0.034), VAT was positively correlated with E2 in MHO (β = 22.269, P = 0.009), and SAT was negatively associated with T in MUO (β = −3.315, P = 0.010). With sex hormones as independent variables, E2 positively correlated with VAT (β = −176.259, P = 0.048), while T negatively correlated with VAT in MHO (β = 183.150, P = 0.029). In MUO, an inverse association of T with SAT was observed (β = −213.689, P = 0.021).

Conclusion

E2 and VAT had a mutual influence, thus resulting in a vicious circle, and the negative correlation between T and VAT may be related to the decrease of the MS occurrence in the MHO group. There were bi-directional relationships between sex hormones and fat distribution in men with different obese and metabolic statuses.

Trial Registration

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-EOC-16010194. Retrospectively registered.

Effect of bariatric surgery on endogenous sex hormones and sex hormone-binding globulin levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Most studies have shown beneficial effect of bariatric surgery (BS) on serum levels of sex hormones.

OBJECTIVE

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to examine the magnitude of possible changes in levels of sex hormones following BS.

SETTINGS

Electronic databases were searched, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, for relevant studies.

METHODS

The heterogeneity of the studies was examined by χ² tests and the degree of heterogeneity was estimated using I² statistic.

RESULTS

The results of pooled analyses revealed that BS caused a significant increase in luteinizing hormone (LH), follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone (TT), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) levels and conversely, decreased dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and estradiol (E2) levels in males. For females, BS significantly increased LH, FSH, and SHBG levels and conversely, decreased androstenedione (AE), E2 and TT levels. Additionally, the level of progesterone (P), prolactin (PRL), free testosterone (FT) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) showed no significant changes in patients who had undergone BS.

CONCLUSION

BS changed most sex hormones levels including LH, FSH, TT, SHBG, AE, DHEA, and E2. It seems that BS is able to exert substantial impacts on sex hormones levels and as well as sexual function, however, larger, and more precise trials are required to specifically focus on these claims.

Legend of Weight Loss: a Crosstalk Between the Bariatric Surgery and the Brain

In recent years, plenty of researches have reported in obese individuals with abnormal brain processes implicated in homeostatic regulation, reward, emotion, memory, attention, and executive function in eating behaviors. Thus, treating obesity cannot remain "brainless." Behavioral and psychological interventions activate the food reward, attention, and motivation system, leading to minimal weight loss and high relapse rates. Pharmacotherapy is an effective weight loss method and regulate brain activity but with concerns about its brain function safety problems. Obesity surgery, the most effective therapy currently available for obesity, shows pronounced effects on brain activity, such as deactivation of reward and attention system, and activation of inhibition control toward food cues. In this review, we present an overview of alterations in the brain after the three common weight loss methods.

Lower Baseline Serum Triglyceride Levels Are Associated With Higher Decrease in Body Mass Index After Laparoscopy Sleeve Gastrectomy Among Obese Patients

AIMS

To investigate the predictive value of baseline serum triglyceride (TG) levels for improvements of metabolism after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG).

METHODS

112 obese patients [body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m²] underwent LSG and with complete information of anthropometric and metabolic parameters were divided into normal TG group (group A) and high TG group (group B), while group A had TG levels ≤ 1.7 mmol/L, and group B had TG levels > 1.7 mmol/L. The post-operative changes (Δ) in metabolic parameters between the two groups were compared.

RESULTS

In the whole cohort, the metabolic parameters were significantly improved at 6 months after LSG. BMI and waist circumference (WC) decreased significantly in the two groups. The ΔBMI among group A and group B were 11.42±3.23 vs 9.13±2.77 kg/m² (p<0.001), respectively. ΔBMI was positively correlated with ΔWC (r=0.696, p<0.001), Δfasting insulin level (r=0.440, p=0.002), Δfasting serum C peptide level (r=0.453, p=0.002), and Δhomeostasis model assessment insulin resistance index (r=0.418, p=0.004) in group A. Compared with group B, group A had a significantly higher odds ratio (OR) of 2.83 (95% confidence interval [CI]1.25-6.38, p=0.012)and 2.73 (95% CI 1.11-6.72, p=0.029) for ΔBMI and ΔWC after adjustment for age and gender, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Obese patients with baseline TG levels under 1.7 mmol/L had greater loss of weight at six months follow-up later LSG. This finding suggests that baseline TG level may have a predictive value for weight loss, at least in the short-term follow-up.

Peculiar Skin Rash After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy

BACKGROUND Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide. Due to its increasing incidence and the difficulty in reducing its morbidity and mortality using nonsurgical methods, the demand for bariatric surgery has risen in recent times. Sleeve gastrectomy is one of the most common types of bariatric surgery, and like any other surgery, it carries a series of risks. CASE REPORT Although complications such as gastrointestinal leaks are widely reported, there is limited literature available on cutaneous complications. Here, we report 4 cases of patients showing a peculiar skin rash 2-4 weeks following sleeve gastrectomy. We also discuss some of the mechanisms that may underlie this correlation. CONCLUSIONS There is a need for further epidemiological studies to determine the prevalence of this rash. Further studies are also needed to determine the exact etiology of this rash.

Iron and Advanced Glycation End Products: Emerging Role of Iron in Androgen Deficiency in Obesity

The literature suggests a bidirectional relationship between testosterone (T) and iron, but mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. We investigated effects of iron on advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in obesity-related androgen deficiency. In total, 111 men were recruited, and iron biomarkers and N(ɛ)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) were measured. In an animal study, rats were fed a 50% high-fat diet (HFD) with (0.25, 1, and 2 g ferric iron/kg diet) or without ferric citrate for 12 weeks. Obese rats supplemented with >1 g iron/kg diet had decreased testicular total T compared to HFD alone. Immunohistochemical staining showed that >1 g of ferric iron increased iron and AGE retention in testicular interstitial tissues, which is associated with increased expression of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE), tumor necrosis factor-α, and nitric oxide. Compared with normal weight, overweight/obese men had lower T levels and higher rates of hypogonadism (19% vs. 11.3%) and iron overload (29.8% vs.15.9%). A correlation analysis showed serum total T was positively correlated with transferrin saturation (r = 0.242, p = 0.007) and cathepsin D (r = 0.330, p = 0.001), but negatively correlated with red blood cell aggregation (r = −0.419, p<0.0001) and CML (r = −0.209, p < 0.05). In conclusion, AGEs may partially explain the underlying relationship between dysregulated iron and T deficiency.

Gender difference in the relationship between serum uric acid reduction and improvement in body fat distribution after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in Chinese obese patients: a 6-month follow-up

BACKGROUND

Hyperuricemia is related to obesity and fat accumulation. This study aimed to observe the effects of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on serum uric acid (sUA) level and body fat distribution in obese patients. The relationships between post-LSG improvement in sUA levels and body fat distribution changes, as well as their sex-related differences, were also explored.

METHODS

In total, 128 obese patients (48 men; 80 women) who underwent LSG were enrolled. Anthropometric indicators, glucose and lipid metabolic indicators, and sUA levels were measured pre-LSG and 6 months post-LSG. The body compositions were measured via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The patients were divided into normal-sUA (NUA) and high-sUA (HUA) groups based on preoperative sUA levels.

RESULTS

Compared with the NUA group, the reduction of sUA levels 6 months post-LSG was more significant in the HUA group. In addition, sUA reduction in the female HUA group was more significant than that of the male HUA group (P < 0.01). Changes in serum uric acid levels (ΔsUA) in the male HUA group was positively correlated with changes in body weight, body mass index, neck circumference, and hip circumference (r = 0.618, 0.653, 0.716, and 0.501, respectively; P < 0.05 in all cases). It was also positively correlated with changes in fat mass in the gynoid region, android region, and legs, (r = 0.675, 0.551, and 0.712, respectively; P < 0.05 in all cases), and negatively correlated with changes in total testosterone (ΔTT) (r = - 0.517; P = 0.040). Furthermore, ΔTT in this group was closely associated with the improved sex-related fat distribution. The ΔsUA in the female HUA group was positively correlated with changes in fasting serum C peptide and ΔLNIR (r = 0.449 and 0.449, respectively; P < 0.05 in both cases). In addition, it was also positively correlated with changes in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) fat mass, VAT fat volume, and VAT fat area (r = 0.749, 0.749, and 0.747, respectively; P < 0.01 in all cases).

CONCLUSIONS

sUA levels of obese patients with hyperuricemia improved 6 months after LSG. Reduction of sUA after LSG was correlated with improved body fat distribution, and the relationships also displayed sex-based differences. Uric acid might be an important metabolic regulator associated with fat distribution and sex hormones.