Table 2.
Effects of n-3 fatty acids on serum total testosterone levels in 1850 male CHD patients.
| Variables | Placebo (N=472) |
ALA (N=467) |
EPA-DHA (N=453) |
EPA-DHA and ALA (N=458) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline total testosterone, nmol/L | ||||
| Mean (SE) | 14.79 ± 0.25 | 14.79 ± 0.25 | 14.87 ± 0.28 | 14.64 ± 0.26 |
| Median (interquartile range) | 14.0 (10.8–17.9) | 14.4 (11.1–17.7) | 13.9 (11.0–17.6) | 14.1 (11.1–17.3) |
| 41 months total testosterone, nmol/L | ||||
| Mean (SE) | 15.35 ± 0.27 | 14.97 ± 0.26 | 15.13 ± 0.28 | 15.28 ± 0.29 |
| Median (interquartile range) | 14.7 (11.1–18.5) | 14.5 (11.1–18.0) | 14.5 (11.3–18.2) | 14.3 (11.0–19.0) |
| Mean (SE) changes in total testosterone, nmol/L | 0.56 ± 0.18 | 0.18 ± 0.18 | 0.26 ± 0.21 | 0.64 ± 0.20 |
| Mean (SE) changes in total testosterone vs. placebo, nmol/L | 0 (ref) | −0.38 ± 0.27 | −0.31 ± 0.27 | 0.08 ± 0.27 |
| P-value | 0.16 | 0.26 | 0.77 | |
| Adjusted mean changes in total testosterone vs. placebo, nmol/La | −0.50 ± 0.26 | −0.26 ± 0.26 | 0.05 ± 0.26 | |
| P-value | 0.052 | 0.26 | 0.84 | |
| No. of subjects without testosterone deficiency at baseline | 434 | 436 | 416 | 420 |
| Testosterone deficiency at 41 months | 21 (4.8%) | 19 (4.4%) | 19 (4.6%) | 17 (4.0%) |
| Odds ratio vs. placebo for testosterone deficiency at 41 monthsb | 1.0 (ref) | 0.90 (0.48–1.69) | 0.94 (0.50–1.78) | 0.83 (0.43–1.60) |
| P-value | 0.74 | 0.85 | 0.58 | |
| Adjusted odds ratio vs. placebo for testosterone deficiency at 41 monthsa,b | 1.0 (ref) | 0.86 (0.42–1.74) | 1.04 (0.52–2.08) | 0.84 (0.41–1.74) |
| P-value | 0.67 | 0.92 | 0.64 | |
Abbreviations: ALA, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA); DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; MI myocardial infarction.
Numbers may not total to the column total because of missing values for some variables.
Data are reported as no. (%), mean ± standard error (SE), or odds ratio (95% confidence interval).
a
Adjusted for age, body mass index, education level, marital status, smoking status, alcohol use, baseline testosterone levels, and both times of blood collection.
b
Testosterone deficiency was defined as a serum total testosterone level <8 nmol/L,(Wang et al., 2009; Wu et al., 2010) and 136 men with testosterone deficiency at baseline were excluded.