Sex Hormone Binding Globulin is an Independent Predictor for Insulin Resistance in Male Patients with Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

INTRODUCTION: This study explored the correlation between sex hormones, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and insulin resistance in male patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS: A total of 48 male patients with newly diagnosed T2DM were enrolled in this study between March 2022 and December 2022. Clinical characteristics, sex hormones, and SHBG levels were collected. All enrolled subjects received intensive hypoglycemic treatment with insulin pump for 1 week to achieve glycemic control, then the steady-state glucose infusion rate (GIR), an indicator of insulin sensitivity, was determined by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Correlation analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to explore the association of clinical characteristics, sex hormones, and SHBG with insulin sensitivity. The optimal cutoff value to predict insulin resistance was calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: According to the GIR cut-point value of 5.700 mg/(kg min), there were 40 patients with insulin resistance (IR group) and 8 patients without (non-IR group). The IR group exhibited lower testosterone and SHBG levels than the non-IR group (all p < 0.050). Correlation analysis showed that insulin sensitivity was positively associated with testosterone and SHBG, while negatively associated with body mass index, fasting blood glucose, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and apolipoprotein B (all p < 0.050). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that SHBG is an independent predictor for insulin resistance (p = 0.029). Further ROC curve analysis revealed that the optimal cutoff value of SHBG to predict insulin resistance is 17.200 nmol/L, with the corresponding area under the curve (AUC) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) being 0.813 and 0.691–0.934. CONCLUSIONS: SHBG is an independent predictor for insulin resistance in male patients with newly diagnosed T2DM. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: KY20220314-01.