Context: Peripubertal obesity is associated with variable hyperandrogenemia, but precise mechanisms remain unclear.
Objective: To assess insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and LH roles in peripubertal obesity-associated hyperandrogenemia.
Design: Cross-sectional analysis.
Setting: Academic clinical research unit.
Participants: Eleven obese (body mass index for age ≥95%) peripubertal girls.
Intervention: Blood samples were taken during a mixed-meal tolerance test (1900 to 2100), overnight (2100 to 0700), while fasting (0700 to 0900), and during an 80 mU/m2/min hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (0900 to 1100).
Main outcome measures: The dependent variable was morning free testosterone level; independent variables were insulin sensitivity index (ISI), estimated 24-hour insulin, and estimated 24-hour LH levels.
Results: All participants demonstrated insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. ISI, but not estimated 24-hour insulin level, correlated positively with morning free testosterone level when correcting for estimated 24-hour LH level and Tanner stage (rs = 0.68, P = 0.046). The correlation between estimated 24-hour LH and free testosterone levels approached significance after adjusting for estimated 24-hour insulin level and Tanner stage (rs = 0.63, P = 0.067). Estimated 24-hour insulin level did not correlate with free testosterone level after adjusting for estimated 24-hour LH level and Tanner stage (rs = 0.47, P = 0.20).
Conclusion: In insulin-resistant obese girls with hyperinsulinemia, free testosterone levels correlated positively with insulin sensitivity and, likely, circulating LH concentrations but not with circulating insulin levels. In the setting of relatively uniform hyperinsulinemia, variable steroidogenic-cell insulin sensitivity may correlate with metabolic insulin sensitivity and contribute to variable free testosterone concentrations.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00928759.