title: Menopausal status influences the relationship between serum ghrelin levels and fat mass in healthy women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationships of fasting serum ghrelin levels to bone mass index (BMI) and body fat mass, focusing on the effects of menopausal status and changes in fat distribution in women after menopause.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-nine pre-menopausal and 31 post-menopausal healthy Japanese women volunteers were enrolled in the present study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total and regional body fat mass weight was measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Serum ghrelin was measured. Relationships of serum ghrelin levels to weight, BMI, total body and regional fat mass weight were separately examined in post-menopausal and pre-menopausal women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum ghrelin levels were significantly inversely correlated with weight (r = -0.377, p < 0.05, Pearson's correlation test), right arm fat mass (r = -0.408, p < 0.05), left arm fat mass (r = -0.386, p < 0.05), trunk fat mass (r = -0.361, p < 0.05) and total body fat mass (r = -0.383, p < 0.05) in the post-menopausal women but not in pre-menopausal women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Menopausal status may influence the relationship between serum ghrelin levels and fat mass in healthy women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima, Japan. ichiro@m.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iwamoto
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshimitsu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujino
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Douchi
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones