Plasma ghrelin concentration is a signal of decreased fat free mass in healthy elderly females

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate whether circulating ghrelin is associated with changes in different body composition parameters over a 12-month prospective study period in healthy older females. On 41 postmenopausal women (mean age: 71.0 +/- 6.5 years), ghrelin, leptin, insulin resistance (IR), and body composition parameters were assessed before and after the study period. Trunk fat: leg fat ratio (+3.6%), fat free mass (FFM) (-4.1%), glucose (+5.8%), and IR (+7.0%) were significantly changed (P < 0.05), whereas no changes in height, body mass, body mass index, fat mass (FM), %FM, trunk fat, leptin, ghrelin, and insulin were observed as a result of study period. At baseline, ghrelin correlated negatively (r > -0.306; P < 0.05) with body mass, FM, %FM, trunk fat, FFM, leptin, insulin, and IR. Multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that baseline ghrelin concentration was significantly associated only with the mean change in FFM value over the 12-month study period. In conclusion, basal ghrelin concentration predicted the loss of FFM in healthy elderly females. In addition, these results suggest that circulating ghrelin concentration could be regarded as a signal of decreased FFM in healthy elderly females.

Long‐term effect of ghrelin on nutritional status and functional capacity in the elderly: a population‐based cohort study

“…This data indicates that ghrelin is a functional regulator of nutritional status in ageing men and that ghrelin activity may protect against malnutrition in this gender, but that women may be unprotected by this mechanism. 31 However, when examining the relationship between weight loss and GH circulating concentrations, we found different situations according to gender: in 70-to 80-year-old men, weight loss was related to higher basal GH and lower basal testosterone, whereas in women, weight loss was associated with low GH. This could be due to a lower number of subjects included in this age range in our study, or just because at a certain age this hormonal mechanism loses its regulatory effect on nutrition homeostasis.…”

“…7 A recent prospective study also showed that low ghrelin concentration can predict a loss in fat-free mass in elderly women. 31 However, when examining the relationship between weight loss and GH circulating concentrations, we found different situations according to gender: in 70-to 80-year-old men, weight loss was related to higher basal GH and lower basal testosterone, whereas in women, weight loss was associated with low GH. The explanation to this observation may be related to a different gonadal hormonal profile and stress response profile between genders.…”

“…This could be due to a lower number of subjects included in this age range in our study, or just because at a certain age this hormonal mechanism loses its regulatory effect on nutrition homeostasis. 31 Synthetic GH secretagogues have been used in a few clinical trails in the elderly, 33,34 showing not only a positive effect on GH secretion but also an improvement in nutritional and functional indicators such as body weight, fat-free mass, stair climbing or the tandem walking test. 26 However, besides a decline in its circulating concentrations, some kind of resistance to ghrelin or loss of its physiological effects may Nutritional effects of ghrelin in the elderly 45 happen while ageing, as, in experimental models, the same dose of ghrelin infusion does not elicit the same proactive eating behaviour as in young animals.…”

Plasma adiponectin concentration is associated with the average accelerometer daily steps counts in healthy elderly females

“…The age-related changes in body composition are caused by a reduction in specific anabolic hormones and also in physical activity (PA) level (Bertoli et al 2006;Jürimäe et al 2009c). A decreased total PA level has been associated with increased risk of having cardiovascular disease in older people (Aoyagi and Shephard 2009;Yu et al 2009).…”

Serum Ghrelin Is Associated with Verbal Learning and Adiposity in a Sample of Healthy, Fit Older Adults

“…Ghrelin is a hormone produced by the stomach that stimulates appetite and has been shown to correlate with loss of fat-free mass in older adults [7]. In a recent study, Serra-Prat et al [8, 9] found that in frail older adults (>75 yrs of age), levels of fasting ghrelin were lower than similar age nonfrail older adults.…”