Abstract
AimsThis study aimed to assess the relationship between dietary inflammatory index (DII) and sex hormones in male children and adolescents aged 6-19 years.MethodsWe obtained data from the 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Male participants aged 6-19 years old with the complete data of DII and sex hormones were included. Weighted multiple regression analysis and subgroup analysis were preformed to estimate the independent relationship between DII and sex hormones.ResultsA total of 1717 male participants with the average age of 13.02 ± 3.82 years were enrolled, of whom 41.3% (n=713) were children and 58.47% (n=1004) were adolescents. In children, mean DII was 0.18 ± 1.67, with scores ranging from -4.53 to 4.08. As for adolescents, the mean DII was 0.36 ± 1.98, mean total testosterone (TT) was 376.94 ± 206.69 ng/dl overall. A negative association between DII with TT and estradiol (E2) was observed (TT: β=-11.97, P=0.0006; E2: β=-0.45, P=0.0108) in male adolescent. Subgroup analysis and interaction test results indicated that this association was similar in male adolescents with different body mass index. No statistically significant association was observed in children.ConclusionsPro-inflammatory diet was associated with lower TT and E2 level in male adolescent, while no association with statistical significance between them was observed in male children. However, more studies are still needed to validate the causal relationship between DII and sex hormones.
Highlights
Testosterone is an essential sex hormone produced by Leydig cell in testis and regulated by negative feedback of hypothalamicpituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA) [1]
Once testosterone enters the circulation, almost 50% of it is tightly bound to sex hormonebinding globulin (SHBG, a circulating homodimeric glycoprotein mainly synthesized in liver) and become unavailable for biological functions [2]
Our study was based on the survey cycles from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014 and 2015-2016, since only these two cycles included both data on sex hormone and dietary information to calculate Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII)
Summary
Testosterone is an essential sex hormone produced by Leydig cell in testis and regulated by negative feedback of hypothalamicpituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA) [1]. About 2% of testosterone remains unbound and called free testosterone (FT), while the rest of it (approximately 48%) is bound to albumin with low affinity compared with SHBG-bound testosterone. FT and albumin-bound testosterone can diffuse into target cell membrane and play its physiological function. Previous studies have demonstrated that TT, SHBG and E2 play essential roles in reproduction, such as onset of puberty and the subsequent sexual maturation, including spermatogenesis and secondary sex characteristic formation and maintenance, etc., and non-sexual biological process, including bone growth, body composition, and the metabolism of glucose, lipid and protein [4,5,6]. Accumulative studies have suggested that sex hormones play a key role in the development and growth in children and adolescents and the disorder of sex hormones may result in a heavy disease burden [10]. The management of sex hormones in children and adolescents is of great significance
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
