title: Ghrelin as a potential blood pressure reducing factor in obese women during weight loss treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In animal models ghrelin reduces cardiac afterload and increases cardiac output via receptors in the cardiovascular system. The aim of our study was to evaluate a potential relationship between weight loss treatment, blood pressure and serum ghrelin concentrations in obese women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group of 37 obese premenopausal women with no previous history of hypertension (BMI: 36.5 +/- 5 kg/m2) were involved in the study. Blood pressure and serum ghrelin levels were assessed before and after a three-month weight reduction treatment, which consisted of a diet of 1000 kcal/day and physical exercise. Body composition was determined by impedance analysis using Bodystat.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following weight loss (mean 8.9 +/- 4.8 kg) SBP decreased (120 +/- 13 vs. 115 +/- 14 mm Hg, p = 0.01) and serum ghrelin levels increased significantly (66.9 +/- 13.7 vs. 73.9 +/- 15.4 pg/ml; p = 0.005). There were significant correlations between values for ghrelin levels after weight loss and SBP (r = -0.45, p = 0.02), DBP (r = -0.41, p < 0.05), and between Deltaghrelin levels and DeltaSBP (r = 0.52, p = 0.006), DeltaDBP (r = 0.53, p = 0.005). There was a positive correlation between an increase in ghrelin and a decrease in percentage body fat during weight loss (r = 0.51; p = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results seem to provide evidence that weight loss may decrease blood pressure in obese patients via a ghrelin-dependent mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizia-Stec
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zahorska-Markiewicz
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olszanecka-Glinianowicz
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Janowska
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mucha
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holecki
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gasiora
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin