title: Ghrelin levels in obesity and anorexia nervosa: effect of weight reduction or recuperation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the influence of dietary intervention on plasma ghrelin levels in obese children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). Study design Prepubertal obese children (n=16) and 16 anorexic adolescents were studied at three different points: clinical diagnosis and after a reduction or recuperation of 25% and 50% of the initial BMI SD score. Controls included 21 Tanner growth stage 1 and 36 Tanner growth stage 5 subjects. We analyzed plasma ghrelin levels and their correlation with plasma levels of leptin, insulin, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3), and integrated concentration of growth hormone (ICGH) before and after dietary intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At diagnosis, ghrelin levels were significantly decreased in obese children (52% of control levels) and significantly increased in adolescents with AN (164% of control levels). After dietary intervention, ghrelin increased in obese patients but without reaching control levels even after a 50% reduction in body mass index (BMI). In adolescents with AN, ghrelin levels normalized after a 25% increase in BMI. Ghrelin correlated negatively with the BMI and positively with IGFBP-1 levels in controls but not in obese patients or in patients with AN at diagnosis. The positive correlation between ghrelin and IGFBP-1 was recovered after dietary intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma ghrelin levels present opposite changes in obesity and AN after dietary intervention, suggesting that ghrelin is a good marker of nutritional status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Laboratory of Research, Universidad Autónoma. Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Leandro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soriano-Guillén
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Barrios
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Campos-Barros
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Argente
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000097:blood*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood*; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D020738:Leptin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D013006:Growth Hormone