A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) could predict the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

SHBG is a glycoprotein synthesized in the liver and regulates the levels of testosterone and estrogen in the blood.

Image: Illustration of sex hormone-binding globulin molecule.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2007, 23.6 million people have diabetes and 1.6 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2007.

Circulating SHBG levels are inversely associated with insulin resistance, but whether these levels can predict the risk of developing type 2 diabetes is uncertain.

The researchers performed a nested case–control study of postmenopausal women who participated in the large scale Women's Health Study who were not using hormone therapy (359 with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 359 controls). They then conducted a replication study in an independent cohort of men from the Physicians' Health Study II (170 with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 170 controls).

The results of the study demonstrated that higher plasma levels of SHBG were prospectively associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in men and women.

The researchers concluded that low circulating levels of SHBG are a strong predictor of the risk of type 2 diabetes in women and men.

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References:
1. Eric L. Ding, et al. Sex Hormone–Binding Globulin and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women and Men. New England Journal of Medicine, 10.1056/NEJMoa0804381.
2. Selby C. Sex hormone binding globulin: origin, function and clinical significance. Ann Clin Biochem. 1990 Nov;27 ( Pt 6):532-41. PMID: 2080856.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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