Adrenal androgens have recently received much attention regarding their
anti-diabetic effects. We investigated the serum levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate
(DHEA-S) and testosterone in 68 men with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
(NIDDM) and in 31 non-diabetic men. Compared with non-diabetic men, men with NIDDM
had significantly lower levels of DHEA-S and testosterone. Serum levels of DHEA-S
showed a significant negative correlation with age and were also inversely related to the
severity of diabetic nephropathy. However, no correlations were observed between serum
levels of DHEAs and fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, serum total cholesterol concentration
or serum triglyceride concentration. Our results suggest that diabetes and aging have
detrimental effects on adrenal androgens, and that lower levels of adrenal androgens are
also associated with the severity of diabetic nephropathy, but not with glycemic control or
dyslipidemia
