title: Relationship between ghrelin levels, alcohol craving, and nutritional status in current alcoholic patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ghrelin is a peptide produced mainly by the gut and hypothalamus. Ghrelin is able to stimulate food-seeking behavior. Alcohol-craving and food-seeking behavior could share common neural circuits. Ghrelin is related to nutritional status, but few data are available in alcoholic patients on the relationship between ghrelin and nutritional disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma ghrelin was evaluated in 15 current alcoholic male patients compared with 15 healthy male volunteers. Craving was evaluated by the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Energy substrate utilization was evaluated by indirect calorimetry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ghrelin was significantly reduced in alcohol-dependent patients with respect to healthy subjects (p=0.0278). A significant positive correlation was found between ghrelin and craving (r=0.55; p=0.034). A preferential utilization of lipids as an energy substrate with a reduction of the fat mass (p=0.01) and an increase of the free fat mass (p=0.0091) was found in alcoholic patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within our sample showing low ghrelin levels probably related to the impaired nutritional status; patients with higher levels of ghrelin showed higher levels of alcohol craving. These preliminary data indicate that ghrelin could be implicated in the neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol craving, other than a hormone influenced by the nutritional status.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Rome, Largo A. Gemelli 8, I-00168 Rome, Italy. g.addolorato@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Addolorato
authors.forename: Esmeralda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Capristo
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leggio
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrulli
authors.forename: Ludovico
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abenavoli
authors.forename: Noemi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Malandrino
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farnetti
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Domenicali
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Angelo
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vonghia
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mirijello
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cardone
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gasbarrini
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology*; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002152:Calorimetry, Differential Scanning; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009770:Obsessive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D000431:Ethanol