Evidence for low androgenicity among Indian (South Asian) men
T. V. Rajan, Jane Kerstetter, Richard Feinn & Anne KennyThere are increasing data indicating profound ethnic differences in the levels of virilization of males [1–4]. It is well understood that the intensity of testosterone-mediated effects is modulated by sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) [5] and the CAG repeat lengths in the androgen receptor (AR) gene [6].
We determined the serum testosterone, estradiol and SHBG levels and average CAG repeat lengths among a group of healthy older Indian men living in Connecticut, USA and compared these parameters with those of a reference group of white Caucasian men. We also compared various parameters that represent the end-manifestations of testosterone activity – serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, lean body mass, skeletal mineralization and visceral fat.
Our data suggest that men from the Indian subcontinent are smaller, manifest lower levels of circulating free testosterone, lower mean PSA levels and lean body mass, but are comparable to white Caucasian men in terms of SHBG, estradiol, levels of visceral fat and CAG repeat length. These data suggest that Indian men manifest a lower level of virilization compared to white Caucasian males and that this might be due to lower mean circulating testosterone levels rather than higher AR CAG repeat length or SHBG.
We have recently shown that Indian males living in the United States appear to be at higher risk for fragility bone fractures than their white Caucasian counterparts [17]. In this study, we investigated whether some of these differences in bone health between these two groups may be due to differences in levels of virilization. We report in this study in that the two groups are comparable in many parameters we analyzed. However, the mean skeletal muscle mass, bone density and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels are lower in Asian Indian males than in their white Caucasian counterparts, indicating lower androgenic effect in these tissues. Indian men have lower free testosterone, in agreement with previous data from England on Pakistani males in comparison with white counterparts [1,4].
Basic demographic parameters
Comparisons of skeletal muscle mass between Indian and white Caucasian males
Comparisons of hormone levels and number of CAG repeats between Indian and white Caucasian males
SOURCE: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/13685538.2013.832192
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