Study on Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Testosterone Levels in Severely Obese Men

Among severely obese men, obstructive sleep apnea is significantly linked with lower levels of both total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT), suggests a study published in the Frontiers of Endocrinology.

Disturbances in sleep affect cardio-metabolic and reproductive health. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome represents a major complication of obesity and has been tied with gonadal axis activity changes and lower serum testosterone concentration in men. However, there is no consistent opinion on the effect of obstructive sleep apnea on testosterone levels in men.

A group of researchers from Serbia conducted a study to determine the influence of obstructive sleep apnea on total and free testosterone levels in severely obese men.

The researchers included 104 severely obese (Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m²) men, aged 20 to 60, who underwent anthropometric, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, and sex hormone measurements. All participants were subjected to polysomnography. According to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) patients were divided into 3 groups:

• <15 (n = 20)
• 15 - 29.9 (n = 17)
• ≥ 30 (n = 67)

Results of the Study

• There was a significant difference between apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) groups in age, BMI, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), continuous metabolic syndrome score (siMS), total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT) levels.
• Total testosterone (TT) level was in a significant negative correlation with AHI, oxygen desaturation index (ODI), BMI, MetS and siMS.
• Also, free testosterone (FT) was in a significant negative correlation with AHI, ODI, BMI, age, MetS and siMS.
• The multiple regression analysis revealed that both AHI and ODI were insignificant correlation with TT and FT after adjustment for age, BMI, siMS score and MetS components.

Thus, the researchers concluded that in severely obese men, obstructive sleep apnea is significantly linked with low total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT) levels.

Reference

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Is Associated with Low Testosterone Levels in Severely Obese Men by Gajić et al. published in the Frontiers in Endocrinology.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.622496