Associations between thyroid hormone levels and regional fat accumulation in euthyroid men.

Min Kyong Moon; Eun Shil Hong; Jung Ah Lim; Sun Wook Cho; Lim Soo; Sung Hee Choi; Ka Hee Yi; Do Joon Park; Young Joo Park; Hak Chul Jang

Objective: Body adiposity, especially ectopic fat accumulation, has a range of metabolic and cardiovascular effects. This study aimed to investigate whether thyroid function is associated with various regional fat quantities in euthyroid subjects. Methods: A total of 100 euthyroid men (free triiodothyronine (fT3), 4.77 ± 1.21 pg/ml; free thyroxine (fT4), 1.38 ± 0.21 ng/dl; and TSH, 2.09 ± 0.91 µIU/ml) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study .We measured accumulated regional fat using 64-slice multi-detector computed tomography . Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine whether accumulated fat in each region was associated with clinical parameters after adjusting for age. Results: FT3 was inversely correlated with BMI (r = -0.232, P = 0.029) and LDL cholesterol level (r = -0.277, P = 0.019). FT4 was inversely correlated with waist circumference (r = -0.350, P = 0.008) and BMI (r = -0.355, P < 0.001). In multiple linear regression analysis, fT3 and fT4 levels were significantly associated with pericardial fat volume (fT3: B = -0.079, 95% CI -0.142 to -0.017, P = 0.013; fT4: B = -0.411, 95% CI -0.780 to -0.042, P = 0.030) in euthyroid men, independent of age. FT3 level was inversely associated with intramuscular fat area (B = -0.059, 95% CI -0.106 to -0.011, P = 0.016) and hepatic fat quantity (B = 0.237, 95% CI -0.441 to -0.033, P = 0.024) in euthyroid men, independent of age. Conclusions: In euthyroid men, low levels of fT3 and fT4 were significantly associated with increased pericardial fat volume and BMI.

THYROID hormones; BODY weight; HYPOTHYROIDISM; OBESITY; THYROXINE; TOMOGRAPHY; INSULIN resistance

European Journal of Endocrinology, 2013, Vol 168, Issue 6, p805

0804-4643

Academic Journal

10.1530/EJE-12-0991