The amount of intraabdominal (visceral) fat is
an important determinant of disturbances in lipid and glucose metabolism.
Crosssectional studies in women have found associations between high
androgen levels and visceral fat accumulation. The causal relation between
these phenomena is unknown. We, therefore, studied prospectively the effect
of testosterone administration on body fat distribution in 10 young,
nonobese, female to male transsexuals undergoing sex reassignment.
Before, after 1 yr, and after 3 yr of
testosterone administration, magnetic resonance images were obtained at the
level of the abdomen, hip, and thigh to quantify both sc and visceral fat
depots. After 1 yr of testosterone administration, sc fat depots at all
levels showed significant reductions compared to baseline measurements. The
mean visceral fat area did not change significantly, but subjects who gained
weight in the first year after testosterone administration showed an
increase in visceral fat.
After 3 yr of testosterone administration,
sc fat depots were no longer significantly lower compared to pretreatment
measurements, but the mean visceral fat depot had increased significantly by
13 cm2 (95% confidence interval, 4–22 cm2), a relative increase of 47%
(95% confidence interval, 8–91%) from baseline. The increase in visceral
fat was most pronounced in those subjects who had gained weight.
We conclude that long term testosterone
administration in young, nonobese, female subjects increases the amount of
visceral fat. In addition, an increase in weight in this hyperandrogenic
state leads to a preferential storage of fat in the visceral depot. (J Clin
Endocrinol Metab 82: 2044–2047, 1997)
This work
was supported by The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (Grant
904–62-124). Presented in part at the Sixth European Congress on Obesity,
May 31 through June 3, 1995, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Citation:
J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997 Jul;82(7):2044-7 an article published on the
Internet by PubMed <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/>Division of
Endocrinology/Andrology, Hospital Vrije Universiteit
(J.M.H.E., H.A., J.A.J.M., L.J.G.G.), Amsterdam;
and the Department of Chronic Disease and
Environmental Epidemiology, National Institute of
Public Health and Environmental Protection (J.C.A.),
Bilthoven, The Netherlands
