Issue 111 Item 6 Ghrelin, A Hunger Hormone’ Linked to Long-Term Body Weight Regu

Hyperghrelinemia may contribute to the severe obesity Obesity, a disease that has been linked to several other serious health complications such as heart disease and diabetes, is one of the fastest growing epidemics in the world. Dr. David Cummings, a researcher at the University of Washington and Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, presented his findings on ghrelin, a recently discovered ‘hunger hormone’ that has been linked to long-term body weight regulation, during the press conference. Ghrelin has been shown to stimulate hunger and short-term food intake in humans. Dr. Cummings and his colleagues demonstrated that ghrelin levels rise shortly before a meal and fall shortly after a meal. Additionally, conditions of negative energy balance, such as low-calorie diets, chronic exercise, cancer anorexia, cardiac cachexia and anorexia nervosa, cause ghrelin levels to increase. Most recently, Dr. Cummings and his colleagues showed that gastric bypass surgery suppresses ghrelin levels in patients.

“Research has shown that ghrelin probably plays a compensatory, rather than causal role in common obesity,” explained Dr. Cummings during the press conference. “However, we find that people with Prader-Willi syndrome, which is the most common form of syndromic obesity, experience significantly increased ghrelin levels. As a result, hyperghrelinemia may contribute to the severe obesity that is associated with Prader-Willi syndrome. Our findings suggest a physiologic role for ghrelin in both the short- and long-term regulation of human appetite and body weight.” ENDO 2002