Dehydroepiandrosterone and insulinaemia
Svacina, S.; Sonka, J.; Haas, T.
Sbornik Lekarsky 96(4): 303-306
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-5327 PMID: 8711373 Document Number: 449937
Low dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and hyperinsulinaemia are assumed to be risk factors of atherosclerosis. Exogenous hyperinsulinaemia during hyperinsulinaemic clamp decreases DHEA. We have evaluated interaction of these hormones during 2 weeks of therapeutic starvation in 11 obese patients (mean BMI 41.2 kg/m2), 5 nondiabetics and 6 diabetics with diet only therapy. Comparing diabetics with normals we have found no differences in BMI and blood DHEA, DHEAS and insulin levels. We have found a light implication of negative correlation of insulin to DHEA and DHEAS level in diabetics (r = -0.71, -0.73, p = 0.16, 0.18). During starvation insulinaemia is declining, DHEA initial increase is followed by a decrease (r = 0.93, p = 0.01). We conclude that insulin decrease during starvation could be a cause of DHEA decrease. This finding is unexpected according to the potential of exogenous insulin to suppress DHEA. Further investigation of endogenous DHEA and insulin relation is necessary.