Association of Waist-Height-Ratio, Waist Circumference, and Body Mass Index with Serum Testosterone Level in Apparently Healthy Men

Previous studies have shown that waist circumference (WC) may be a better predictor of serum testosterone level than body mass index (BMI). The determination of the waist-to-height ratio (WHt ratio) is reported to have certain advantages over other adiposity measures. Our study thus aimed at examining the utility of WHt ratio in addition to WC and BMI in determining their association with testosterone level. The case-control study involved apparently healthy male participants aged between 40 to 60 years. The study participants were divided into normal and abnormal groups according to WC, BMI, WHt ratio with their mean total testosterone level compared. The correlations of total testosterone and adiposity measures along with age adjustments were also determined. Individuals with WC>100cm had a significant low (P=0.003) testosterone level compared to their counterparts with WC<100cm. A significantly lowered (P=0.042) testosterone was observed in the study group with BMI>25kg/m2 compared to the group with <25kg/m2. The study group with a WHt ratio of >0.5 had a significantly lower (P=0.012) testosterone than the group with <0.5. An inverse correlation of testosterone was observed with age (r=-0.567), BMI (r=-0.265), WC (r=-0.406), and WHt ratio (r=-0.412) in the apparently healthy Men studied. After adjustment for age, the correlation observed between testosterone and BMI (P=0.010), testosterone and WC (P=0.004), testosterone and WHt ratio (P=0.014) remained significant. After height adjustment, the correlation between testosterone and WHt ratio (P=0.002) also remained significant. In conclusion, the WHt ratio and WC independent of age were the best predictors of the total testosterone level in men