Regular physical activity influences plasma ghrelin concentration in adolescent girls.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the effect of regular physical activity on plasma ghrelin concentration after onset of puberty in girls. In addition, we also examined the association of fasting plasma ghrelin concentration with various plasma biochemical, body composition, and aerobic capacity variables in healthy adolescent girls.


METHODS
Fifty healthy schoolgirls ages 11 to 16 yr were divided either into a physically active (N = 25) or a physically inactive (N = 25) group. The physically active group consisted of swimmers who had trained on an average of 6.2 +/- 2.0 h.wk(-1) for the last 2 yr, whereas the inclusion criterion for the physically inactive group was the participation in physical education classes only. The subjects were matched for age (+/- 1 yr) and body mass index (BMI; +/- 2 kg.m(-2)). Maturation I group (14 matched pairs) included pubertal stages 2 and 3, and maturation II group (11 matched pairs) included pubertal stages 4 and 5.


RESULTS
Physically active girls had significantly higher (P < 0.05) mean plasma ghrelin levels than the physically inactive girls (maturation I: 1152.1 +/- 312.9 vs 877.7 +/- 114.8 pg.mL(-1); maturation II: 1084.0 +/- 252.5 vs 793.4 +/- 164.9 pg.mL(-1)). Plasma ghrelin concentration was negatively related to percent body fat, fat mass, peak oxygen consumption per kilogram of body mass, leptin, estradiol, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) (r > -0.298; P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analysis to determine the predictors of ghrelin concentration using the variables that were significantly associated with ghrelin concentration demonstrated that plasma IGF-I was the most important predictor of plasma ghrelin concentration (beta = -0.396; P = 0.008).


CONCLUSIONS
Regular physical activity influences plasma ghrelin concentrations in girls with different pubertal maturation levels. Plasma IGF-I concentration seems to be the main determinant of circulating ghrelin in healthy, normal-weight adolescent girls.
Jürimäe
Jaak
J
Institute of Sport Pedagogy and Coaching Sciences, Center of Behavioral and Health Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
Cicchella
Antonio
A
Jürimäe
Toivo
T
Lätt
Evelin
E
Haljaste
Kaja
K
Purge
Pritt
P
Hamra
Jena
J
von Duvillard
Serge P
SP
D000293:Adolescent; D000886:Anthropometry; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D015519:Bone Density; D002648:Child; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D011627:Puberty; D012741:Sexual Maturation
D054439:Ghrelin