Loneliness predicts postprandial ghrelin and hunger in women.
Loneliness is strongly linked to poor health. Recent research suggests that appetite dysregulation provides one potential pathway through which loneliness and other forms of social disconnection influence health. Obesity may alter the link between loneliness and appetite-relevant hormones, one unexplored possibility. We examined the relationships between loneliness and both postmeal ghrelin and hunger, and tested whether these links differed for people with a higher versus lower body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)). During this double-blind randomized crossover study, women (N=42) ate a high saturated fat meal at the beginning of one full-day visit and a high oleic sunflower oil meal at the beginning of the other. Loneliness was assessed once with a commonly used loneliness questionnaire. Ghrelin was sampled before the meal and postmeal at 2 and 7h. Self-reported hunger was measured before the meal, immediately postmeal, and then 2, 4, and 7h later. Lonelier women had larger postprandial ghrelin and hunger increases compared with less lonely women, but only among participants with a lower BMI. Loneliness and postprandial ghrelin and hunger were unrelated among participants with a higher BMI. These effects were consistent across both meals. These data suggest that ghrelin, an important appetite-regulation hormone, and hunger may link loneliness to weight gain and its corresponding negative health effects among non-obese people.
Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA. Electronic address: ljaremka@psych.udel.edu.
Lisa M
LM
Jaremka
Department of Health Disparities Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Christopher P
CP
Fagundes
Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA; College of Public Health, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
Juan
J
Peng
Department of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Martha A
MA
Belury
College of Public Health, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
Rebecca R
RR
Andridge
Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
William B
WB
Malarkey
Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Psychiatry, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
Janice K
JK
Kiecolt-Glaser
D001066:Appetite / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology*; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology; D019518:Postprandial Period / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors
D054439:Ghrelin
Ghrelin; Hunger; Interpersonal relationships; Loneliness; Obesity