Sex hormone-binding globulin, but not testosterone, is associated prospectively and independently with incident metabolic syndrome in men: the framingham heart study.

Objective: The association between total testosterone and metabolic syndrome has prompted speculation that low testosterone contributes to the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome in men. We determined whether testosterone or sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is independently associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Research Design And Methods: Cross-sectional relationships of hormone levels with metabolic syndrome were assessed in a sample of men in generation 2 of the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) who did not receive testosterone or androgen-deprivation therapy (n = 1,625) and confirmed in a validation sample of men in FHS generation 3 (n = 1,912).