Associations between endogenous sex hormones and FGF-23 among women and men in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

PLoS One. 2022 May 25;17(5):e0268759. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268759. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Elevated levels of testosterone and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23) are both independently associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the relationship between sex hormones and FGF-23 is not well established. We explored the association between sex hormones and FGF-23 among middle-aged to older men and women in MESA. We studied 3,052 men and 2,868 postmenopausal women free of CVD at the time of enrollment with baseline serum sex hormones [total testosterone (T), free T, estradiol (E2) and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG)] and intact FGF-23. In sex-stratified analyses, we examined the cross-sectional associations between log-transformed sex hormones (per 1 SD) and log-transformed FGF-23 using multiple linear regression adjusted for socio-demographics, CVD risk factors, estimated glomerular filtration rate and mineral metabolites (25-hydroxyvitamin D, calcium, phosphorus and parathyroid hormone). The mean (SD) age of study participants was 64 (10) years. The median (IQR) of FGF-23 was similar in women and men [38 (30-46) vs 38 (31-47) pg/mL]. In adjusted analyses, among women, 1 SD increment in free T was associated with 3% higher FGF-23 while SHBG was associated with 2% lower FGF-23. In men, 1 SD increment in E2 was associated with 6% higher FGF-23 whereas total T/E2 ratio was associated with 7% lower FGF-23. In conclusion, this exploratory analysis found that a more androgenic sex hormone profile was directly associated with FGF-23 in women and inversely associated with FGF-23 in men. Longitudinal studies are required to determine whether FGF-23 mediates the relationship between sex hormones and CVD risk.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Atherosclerosis* / blood
  • Cardiovascular Diseases* / blood
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Estradiol / blood
  • Female
  • Fibroblast Growth Factor-23* / blood
  • Gonadal Steroid Hormones* / blood
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / metabolism
  • Testosterone / blood

Substances

  • FGF23 protein, human
  • Gonadal Steroid Hormones
  • Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin
  • Testosterone
  • Estradiol
  • Fibroblast Growth Factor-23