Summary of the studies evaluating the role of sex hormones in the risk of NAFLD
| References | Type of study | Population | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Völzke et al. [31] | Observational | Adult men recruited from the SHIP study | Hepatic steatosis is associated with low testosterone and high DHEAS levels |
| Van de Velde et al. [32] | Observational | Adult men with obesity scheduled for bariatric surgery undergoing liver biopsy | Subjects with NASH have lower cFT levels and a higher cFE2/cFT ratio as compared to those with only fatty liver |
| Sarkar et al. [33] | Observational | Adult men with biopsy-proven NAFLD | Men with low free testosterone are more likely to have NASH and advanced fibrosis |
| Yim et al. [34] | Observational | Adult subjects participants from the NHANES 2011–2012 | Low total testosterone levels were associated with abnormal ALT levels in men and post-menopausal women irrespective of other risk factors |
| Kumarendran et al. [36] | Observational | Women aged 18–50 with and without PCOS | Patients with PCOS have an increased rate of NAFLD irrespective of BMI or impaired glucose metabolism |
| Sarkar et al. [37] | Observational | Women aged 18–45 years with and without PCOS and biopsy-confirmed NAFLD | The presence of PCOS was associated with an increasing fibrosis in patients with NASH |
| Sarkar et al. [50] | Observational | Healthy Caucasian and African American women aged 18–30 | Increased free testosterone levels are associated with NAFLD independently from BMI, insulin resistance and waist |
| Fujihara et al. [51] | Observational | Healthy middle-age Japanese men | Low FT and high SHBG plasma levels are associated with a higher FIB-4 index |
| Hazlehurst et al. [64] | Trial | Healthy young male treated with finasteride/dutasteride | Increased metabolic risk and intrahepatic lipid accumulation on MRS in patients treated with dutasteride |
| Gild et al. [69] | Observational | Adult men with PCa undergoing ADT | Increased risk of NAFLD and any liver disease in treated patients |
| Sawazaki et al. [70] | Observational | Men with PCa undergoing ADT | Increased intrahepatic fatty deposition on abdominal CT |
ADT: androgen-deprivation therapy; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; cFT: calculated free testosterone; cFE2: calculated free estradiol; CT: computed tomography; MRS: magnetic resonance spectroscopy; PCa: prostate cancer