Low plasma zinc and androgen in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Plasma zinc and pituitary and testicular hormone concentrations were measured in two groups of male adolescents. One group comprised insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients, aged 14-19 years; the other, as control, included 12 healthy youngsters aged 13-19 years. Plasma concentration of zinc, prolactin, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone were lower in diabetics than in controls, whereas the ratios of androstenedione and androstenedione to testosterone + dihydrotestosterone were higher. Plasma FSH and LH were normal. These results suggest a diminished conversion of androstenedione to testosterone and relate zinc with the 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme activity.