Correlation between serum sex hormone-binding globulin levels and nutrition indicators and malnutrition exposure risk in men and postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes

TL;DR

This study found that serum SHBG levels are linked to nutrition indicators and malnutrition risk in men and postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.

Contribution

The novel contribution is identifying SHBG as a potential biomarker for malnutrition risk in T2DM patients.

Findings

SHBG levels were inversely correlated with BMI, albumin, transferrin, and prealbumin in both men and postmenopausal women.

Higher SHBG levels were independently associated with increased malnutrition exposure risk in T2DM patients.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was associated with reduced malnutrition exposure risk.

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the correlation between serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels and nutrition indicators and the malnutrition exposure risk in men and postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted, involving patients diagnosed with T2DM at the Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital between May 2018 and December 2019.

The study comprised 551 participants (363 men, mean age of 55.55 ± 11.57 years), among whom 167 (30.31%) were classified as with malnutrition exposure risk (GNRI ≤ 98). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that SHBG (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02–1.05, P < 0.001), glycated hemoglobin (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.22–1.51, P < 0.001), hemoglobin (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.94–0.97, P < 0.001), and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.23–0.73, P < 0.003) were independently associated with the malnutrition exposure risk. SHBG was inversely correlated with body mass index (males: r = -0.34; postmenopausal females: r = -0.22), albumin (males: r = -0.30; postmenopausal females: r = -0.20), transferrin (males: r = -0.28; postmenopausal females: r = -0.19), and prealbumin (males: r = -0.35; postmenopausal females: r = -0.30) (all P < 0.05).

Serum SHBG levels are correlated with nutritional indicators and the risk of malnutrition in men and postmenopausal women with T2DM. A multicenter prospective study is imperative to verify this result in the future.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12902-024-01653-x.

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