title: Low plasma ghrelin concentration is an indicator of the metabolic syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low ghrelin concentration has been associated with several features of metabolic syndrome (MS), but the relationship between ghrelin concentration and MS as a cluster of metabolic aberrations has not yet been studied.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyse whether ghrelin concentration is associated with MS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fasting plasma ghrelin concentrations of the population-based cohort of 1037 middle-aged men and women were analysed using a commercial radioimmunoassay kit (Phoenix Peptide). MS was determined using the new International Diabetes Federation criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of MS was 37.2%. The ghrelin concentrations were decreased in subjects with MS (635 pg/mL) compared to those without MS (687 pg/mL) (P=0.001). Ghrelin levels decreased with an increase in the number of metabolic abnormalities. Low ghrelin was a statistically significant predictor of MS in logistic regression analysis (P=0.005) so that the subjects in the 1st ghrelin quartile were at higher risk of having MS compared to the subjects in the 4th quartile (OR=1.82, 95% CI: 1.27-2.60, P=0.001). This association remained statistically significant after adjustment for age and sex (OR=1.76, 95% CI: 1.24-2.55, P=0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Metabolic syndrome is associated with low ghrelin levels suggesting a relationship of ghrelin in the metabolic disturbances of MS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Oulu, Finland. olavi.ukkola@oulu.fi
authors.forename: Olavi
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ukkola
authors.forename: Seppo M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Pöykkö
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Antero Kesäniemi
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005215:Fasting / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D054439:Ghrelin; D008055:Lipids; D036361:Peptide Hormones