Nutritional, Cardiometabolic, and Psychosocial Profile of Transgender People Undergoing Hormone Therapy in La Araucanía, Chile: A Descriptive Exploratory Study.

Authors

Rodrigo Hernán Torres Bravo, María Angélica Hernández Moreno, Pablo Eliseo Navarro Cáceres, Augusto Claudio Obando Cid

Published in

Revista medica de Chile. Volume 154. Issue 7. Pages 1048-1058.

Abstract

Transgender people undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) have nutritional, cardiometabolic, and psychosocial vulnerabilities that remain poorly characterized in Chile.
To describe these profiles in individuals attending the adult gender outpatient clinic at the Hospital Dr. Hernán Henríquez Aravena in Temuco.
A quantitative, observational, descriptive, and exploratory study was conducted in 41 adults undergoing GAHT, evaluated between August 2024 and January 2025. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, and body composition data were collected in conjunction with the Chilean Mediterranean Diet Index, as well as clinical and psychosocial data, including biochemical and hematological markers relevant to a nutritional and cardiometabolic assessment. The analysis was descriptive, with non-inferential exploratory associations.
The sample was predominantly young (mean age 22.7 years), urban, low-income, and mostly transmasculine (78%). Overnutrition was present in 71% and abdominal obesity in 61%; transmasculine individuals showed greater adiposity and muscle mass, while transfeminine individuals predominantly had normal weight with a higher fat percentage, consistent with an estrogenic effect. Adherence to the Mediterranean pattern was low in 71%, with high sugar intake and low consumption of healthy foods. Most cardiometabolic parameters remained within clinical reference ranges; however, 19.5% met criteria for metabolic syndrome and 24.4% were classified as moderate/high cardiovascular risk, concentrated among transmasculine individuals. Smoking prevalence reached 51%, with co-occurrence of alcohol and cannabis use. In the psychosocial domain, 44% reported stable mood, 46% were in psychotherapy, and 19% reported suicidal ideation, mostly past; family support predominated.
These findings demonstrate a high frequency of overnutrition, concentrated cardiometabolic risk factors, and significant psychosocial needs, underscoring the importance of comprehensive, culturally competent interventions with longitudinal follow-up in the public health system.

PMID:
42809785
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.