The relationship between sex hormones and glycated hemoglobin in a non-diabetic middle-aged and elderly population

BACKGROUND: Sex hormones are strongly linked to the occurrence and development of diabetes, and influence glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) levels in diabetic population; but, the relationship between sex hormones and HbA(1c) in non-diabetic population remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the extent of influence of sex hormones on HbA(1c) levels in non-diabetic population. METHODS: A total of 1409 non–diabetic subjects, including 601 men and 808 postmenopausal women were recruited from Shanghai community. HbA(1c) was detected using high performance liquid chromatography, and hemoglobin level was determined by sodium lauryl sulfate colorimetry. Serum estradiol (E(2)), total testosterone (TT), and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were measured by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassays. RESULTS: The level of HbA(1c) was 5.6 (5.4–5.9) % in all subjects, with 5.6 (5.4–5.8) % in men and 5.7 (5.5–5.9) % in postmenopausal women. After adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), and hemoglobin, E(2) was positively correlated with HbA(1c) in men (r = 0.122, P = .003), and SHBG was inversely correlated with HbA(1c) (r = − 0.125, P < .001) in women. Other hormones were not correlated with HbA(1c) (all P > .05). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that, except for traditional factors, such as age, hemoglobin, and BMI, E(2) was another determinant of HbA(1c) (standardized β = 0.137, P = .003) in men; besides, in women, SHBG was another determinant of HbA(1c) (standardized β = − 0.178, P < .001), except for age and systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: After controlling for confounding factors, two sex hormones, as E(2) and SHBG could influence HbA(1c) levels in non-diabetic population. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12902-022-01002-w.