title: Plasma ghrelin in anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder: relations with eating patterns and circulating concentrations of cortisol and thyroid hormones.
abstract: The present study was designed to investigate the relations between plasma ghrelin concentrations, eating patterns, and circulating concentrations of cortisol and thyroid hormones in women with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. The patterns of disordered eating behavior were assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the Bulimia Test-Revised (BULIT-R). In women with eating disorders, but not in healthy control women, plasma ghrelin concentrations were negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI) and plasma concentrations of thyreotropin (TSH), free T3 and free T4, and positively correlated with plasma concentrations of cortisol. The ghrelin concentrations of women with binge-eating and purging behavior were significantly lower than those of women with anorexia nervosa, restricting type, and there was a negative relation between the frequency and severity of binge-eating and purging behavior, as measured by the BULIT-R total score, and ghrelin concentrations. In a multivariate regression model controlling for the confounding effects of body mass index (BMI) and age, higher ghrelin concentrations were correlated with lower BULIT-R total scores. The results of this study did not confirm the hypothesis advanced in previous studies that ghrelin concentrations are higher in patients with binge-eating/purging forms of eating disorders. Based on these data, we suggest that, in women with eating disorders, ghrelin concentrations best reflect nutritional status rather than specific patterns of disordered eating behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy. alfonso.troisi@uniroma2.it
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Troisi
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Lorenzo
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lega
authors.forename: Manfredi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tesauro
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertoli
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.forename: Micaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iantorno
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pecchioli
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rizza
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turriziani
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lauro
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Siracusano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000855:Anorexia / Q000097:blood*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002032:Bulimia / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine; D006854:Hydrocortisone