Association of dietary factors and selected plasma variables with sex hormone-binding globulin in rural Chinese women.

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) is an important regulator of plasma sex steroids as well as a sensitive indicator of insulin resistance. SHBG may be an important diagnostic measure of risk for pathologies associated with insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) such as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. In women, SHBG is also implicated in diverse pathologies such as cancers of steroid-sensitive tissues and hirsutism. Data from an ongoing ecological study linking diet and health in rural China were analyzed to determine the relation of selected plasma variables and diet to plasma concentrations of SHBG. All data represent county mean values, pooled by age and sex, to assess the relation between biochemical and lifestyle characteristics and disease-specific mortality rates at the county level. The study sample consisted of 3250 Chinese women between the ages of 35 and 64 y living in 65 widely dispersed rural counties. Consumption patterns for 21 different food groups were derived from a food-frequency questionnaire and a 3-d dietary survey and subsequently compared. Correlation analyses of county mean values demonstrated a significant association between SHBG and insulin, testosterone, triacylglycerols, body mass index, age at menarche, and several foods. In regression analyses, after adjustments, the strongest predictors of SHBG concentrations were the dietary intake of rice (beta = 0.42, P < 0.01), fish (beta = 0.34, P < 0.05), millet (beta = -0.27, P < 0.01), and wheat (beta = -0.34, P < 0.01). When insulin, testosterone, and triacylglycerols were added to the model only triacylglycerols (beta = -0.26, P < 0.05) remained a significant independent predictor of SHBG. Additional analyses suggested that the consumption of green vegetables was modestly positively correlated with SHBG and negatively with insulin values. Consumption of rice and fish in particular appeared to favorably influence the principle plasma variables associated with a reduction in the risk for IRS pathologies.