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Updated: Nov 13, 2025
Quantitative Determination of De Novo Fatty Acid Synthesis in Brown Adipose Tissue Using Deuterium Oxide
Published on: May 12, 2023
Relationship between de novo lipogenesis and serum sex hormone binding globulin in humans
Pomme I H G Simons1,2,3, Olivier Valkenburg4, Ine Telgenkamp1,2
1Division of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Objective:
Obesity and liver fat are associated with decreased levels of serum sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Laboratory studies suggest that hepatic de novo lipogenesis (DNL) is involved in the downregulation of SHBG synthesis. The aim of the present study was to address the role of DNL on serum SHBG in humans.
Design:
A cross-sectional study examining the association between DNL, measured by stable isotopes, and serum SHBG, stratified by sex.
Participants:
Healthy men (n = 34) and women (n = 21) were combined from two cross-sectional studies. Forty-two per cent of participants had hepatic steatosis, and the majority were overweight (62%) or obese (27%).
Results:
DNL was inversely associated with SHBG in women (β: -0.015, 95% CI: -0.030; 0.000), but not in men (β: 0.007, 95% CI: -0.005; 0.019) (p for interaction = .068). Adjustment for study population, age and body mass index did not materially change these results, although statistical significance was lost after adjustment for serum insulin.
Conclusions:
An inverse association between DNL and SHBG may explain the decreased SHBG levels that are observed in obesity, at least in women.
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