title: Ghrelin levels are associated with hunger as measured by the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire in healthy young adults.
abstract: Weight gain and appetite regulation are complex interplays between internal and external cues. Our aim was to investigate the association of eating behaviors with ghrelin taking into account lifestyle. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in a sample of first-year university students at the Université de Sherbrooke. We collected medical history, anthropometric measurements, vital signs, fitness index, and fasting blood samples. Questionnaires included a lifestyle questionnaire and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) estimating dietary restraint, disinhibition and hunger. We recruited 308 participants aged 20.7±3.2 years and a mean BMI of 23.3±3.4 kg/m(2). Hunger score was significantly associated with ghrelin levels (r=0.11, P<0.05). In women, this association was independent of age, BMI, dietary and lifestyle factors (P=0.02). The association between ghrelin level and hunger score was observable in leaner individuals (r=0.28, p<0.0001) but not in heavier individuals (r=-0.08, p=0.34; stratified by BMI < vs > 22.6 kg/m(2)). Restraint (R) and disinhibition (D) were not associated with ghrelin levels. The three eating behaviors demonstrated expected correlations with lifestyle supporting the validity of the TFEQ in this cohort. In conclusion, we demonstrated that ghrelin, a biological marker, is associated with self-reported perception of hunger, independently of anthropometric measures and lifestyle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Université de Sherbrooke and Centre de recherche Clinique Étienne-Le Bel, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.forename: Marie-France
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Langlois
authors.forename: André C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Carpentier
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lemieux
authors.forename: Marie-France
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Hivert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology*; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin