Impact of Weight Loss on Reproductive Hormones in Obese Men

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether weight loss in obese men improves reproductive hormones. Design: Prospective interventional study. Patients: Intervention(s): Diet counseling and exercise. Materials and methods: Obese men aged 25–40 years (mean age = 32.5 ± 7.5) with BMI more than 25 kg/m 2 were recruited for the study. The subjects underwent a weight loss intervention and were followed up for 1-year post intervention. Their semen parameters were checked before and after weight loss. Main outcome measures: Collected reproductive parameters included testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) serum hormonal values. A paired t test was done to evaluate differences across the before and after groups. Chi-square/Fisher exact test was used to find the significance of study parameters on a categorical scale between two or more groups. Results: The mean BMI was significantly higher before weight loss (33.2) than after weight loss (30.4) in obese men. The weight loss increased the T to 35.40 ± 20.51 ng/mL compared with 27.16 ± 20.71 ng/mL, and SHBG to 23.72 ± 9.01 µg/dL compared with 19.18 ± 10.44 µg/dL, whereas FSH and LH were nonsignificant. Conclusion: The study showed that a high BMI at the baseline was associated with low values of serum T and SHBG. FSH and LH were considerably low in morbidly obese men before weight loss. Weight loss was associated with an increase in serum T and SHBG. FSH and LH were not statistically significant after weight loss except in morbidly obese men who showed clear aromatization influence. The hormonal profile among obese men evaluated in this study was characterized by abnormalities in the sex hormones, and weight loss improved some of the hormone levels; however, they were not normalized.