This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Langenberg, C. Articles by Barrett-Connor, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Langenberg, C. Articles by Barrett-Connor, E. Related Collections Metabolism

Ghrelin and the Metabolic Syndrome in Older Adults

Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California-San Diego (C.L., J.B., G.A.L., E.B.-C.), La Jolla, California 92093-0607; and Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London Medical School (C.L.), London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0607. E-mail: ebarrettconnor{at}ucsd.edu.

Context: Ghrelin may be one of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying risk factor clustering observed in the metabolic syndrome, but this has not been investigated.

Objective: The objective of this work was to study the association between ghrelin and the metabolic syndrome and identify social and behavioral determinants of ghrelin.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Setting: The setting of this work was the Rancho Bernardo Study.

Participants: Study subjects included 1513 men and women, aged 51–90 yr in 1984–1987.

Outcomes: Total ghrelin, measured by RIA, and the metabolic syndrome, defined using Adult Treatment Panel III diagnostic criteria, were the outcome measures.

Results: Levels of ghrelin (mean ± SD) did not differ between the 848 men (1451 ± 532 pg/ml) and the 665 women (1459 ± 672 pg/ml) or by age. Education, alcohol intake, and smoking history were each significantly and positively associated with ghrelin in a dose-related manner, independent of body mass index (BMI). Compared with participants with the lowest third of ghrelin levels, the age- and sex-adjusted odds of having the metabolic syndrome were 18% lower in the middle third and 53% lower in the highest third. This corresponds to a 21% decrease per SD increase in ghrelin (odds ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.69, 0.89; P 0.001); this was attenuated to 13% (odds ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.75, 1.01; P = 0.07), after adjustment for BMI. Of the five metabolic syndrome components, only the association between ghrelin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was independent of BMI. A significant association independent of BMI was also observed between insulin and ghrelin.

Conclusions: Ghrelin levels are influenced by lifestyle factors. The inverse association between endogenous ghrelin and the metabolic syndrome is largely explained by the strong ghrelin-BMI association.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				O. Sentissi, J. Epelbaum, J.-P. Olie, and M.-F. Poirier Leptin and Ghrelin Levels in Patients With Schizophrenia During Different Antipsychotics Treatment: A Review Schizophr Bull, November 1, 2008; 34(6): 1189 - 1199. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Ingelsson, M. G. Larson, X. Yin, T. J. Wang, J. B. Meigs, I. Lipinska, E. J. Benjamin, J. F. Keaney Jr., and R. S. Vasan Circulating Ghrelin, Leptin, and Soluble Leptin Receptor Concentrations and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in a Community-Based Sample J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., August 1, 2008; 93(8): 3149 - 3157. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				U. Mager, M. Kolehmainen, V. D F de Mello, U. Schwab, D. E Laaksonen, R. Rauramaa, H. Gylling, M. Atalay, L. Pulkkinen, and M. Uusitupa Expression of ghrelin gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma ghrelin concentrations in patients with metabolic syndrome. Eur. J. Endocrinol., April 1, 2008; 158(4): 499 - 510. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. De Vriese, M. Hacquebard, F. Gregoire, Y. Carpentier, and C. Delporte Ghrelin Interacts with Human Plasma Lipoproteins Endocrinology, May 1, 2007; 148(5): 2355 - 2362. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C.-C. Chang, C.-H. Hung, H.-L. Chen, K.-L. Hwang, and C.-Y. Lin Peritoneal transport characteristics and dwelling time significantly impact ghrelin clearance in peritoneal dialysis patients Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., January 1, 2007; 22(1): 224 - 228. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. T. Vestergaard, R. Dall, K. H. W. Lange, M. Kjaer, J. S. Christiansen, and J. O. L. Jorgensen The Ghrelin Response to Exercise before and after Growth Hormone Administration J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2007; 92(1): 297 - 303. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. H. Park, Y. J. Oh, G. Y. Kim, S. E. Kim, K.-H. Paik, S. J. Han, A. H. Kim, S. H. Chu, E. K. Kwon, S. W. Kim, et al. Obestatin Is Not Elevated or Correlated with Insulin in Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2007; 92(1): 229 - 234. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Langenberg, J. Bergstrom, C. Scheidt-Nave, J. Pfeilschifter, and E. Barrett-Connor Cardiovascular Death and the Metabolic Syndrome: Role of adiposity-signaling hormones and inflammatory markers. Diabetes Care, June 1, 2006; 29(6): 1363 - 1369. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Bouros, A. Tzouvelekis, S. Anevlavis, M. Doris, S. Tryfon, M. Froudarakis, V. Zournatzi, and A. Kukuvitis Smoking acutely increases plasma ghrelin concentrations. Clin. Chem., April 1, 2006; 52(4): 777 - 778. [Full Text] [PDF]