Endocrine effects of food intake: insulin, ghrelin, and leptin responses to a single bolus of essential amino acids in humans.
BACKGROUND
This study deals with the physiological effects of an oral bolus of essential amino acids (AA) on the secretion of insulin, ghrelin and leptin in fasting humans.


METHODS
12 healthy adults (age 18-40 years, 10 males, 2 females, body mass index 18.0-23.5 kg/m(2)) were included in our study. Seven fasted volunteers consumed an AA mixture (0.35 g/kg BW), 5 served as controls. Serum AA, glucose, albumin, urea and hormones were measured at 0, 15, 30 min and thereafter at 30-min intervals up to 5 h.


RESULTS
Glucose, albumin and urea remained constant, peak AA concentrations were achieved at 30 min for methionine (Met), at 60 min for all other AA. The insulin peak (533% compared to basal level, p < 0.01) at 30 min was earlier than the peaks of all AA except for Met. Ghrelin showed a continuous rise towards the end of the experiment leading to a 3-fold increase in initial concentrations in the study group (p < 0.001), significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05). In contrast, both groups exhibited almost constant leptin concentrations.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that an oral low-dose AA bolus not only causes considerable hyperaminoacidemia and hyperinsulinemia but is also accompanied by an increased ghrelin secretion in fasted humans. This may be a specific effect or may be due to the fact that a single bolus of AA is not a sufficient stimulus to induce satiety. Leptin, however, is not a key mediator in this setting.
Knerr
I
I
Department of Paediatrics, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Loschgestrasse 15, DE-91054 Erlangen, Germany. ina.knerr@kinder.imed.uni-erlangen.de
Gröschl
M
M
Rascher
W
W
Rauh
M
M
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000418:Albumins / Q000032:analysis; D000601:Amino Acids, Essential / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005215:Fasting / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D014508:Urea / Q000097:blood
D000418:Albumins; D000601:Amino Acids, Essential; D001786:Blood Glucose; D054439:Ghrelin; D007328:Insulin; D020738:Leptin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D014508:Urea