The association between follicle stimulating hormone and glutathione peroxidase activity is dependent on abdominal obesity in postmenopausal women.

PURPOSE: Menopause is frequently associated with an increase in visceral fat, thus modifying redox status by promoting oxidative damage and decreasing antioxidant defense systems. It is known that at higher concentrations estradiol has some antioxidant properties, while its decline in postmenopause is associated with pro-oxidant effects. However, the role of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in antioxidant defense in postmenopausal women is still not well elucidated. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the potential complex association between visceral obesity, FSH and enzymatic antioxidant defense as measured by glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in postmenopausal women.

METHODS: A total of 150 postmenopausal women (mean age 56.6 ± 4.8 years), among them 50 normal weight and 100 overweight/obese, were included. GPx activity, FSH, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, total testosterone, cardiometabolic and anthropometric parameters, were determined.

RESULTS: With increasing tertiles of serum FSH levels, significant increase in GPx activity (P = 0.005) was found. Also, the highest number of overweight/obese subjects were in the group with the lowest FSH values (χ 2  = 14.9, P < 0.001). After multiple linear regression analysis, the relationship between GPx and FSH disappeared, whereas only higher waist circumference (β = -0.218, P = 0.045) predicted lower FSH level (adjusted R 2  = 0.227).

CONCLUSION: Higher GPx activity is associated with higher FSH level, but abdominal obesity may be the underlying determinant of this relationship.