Ghrelin Associated With Improved Appetite in Frail Women
JUNE 15, 2009
In frail women with unexplained weight loss, ghrelin showed improvement in appetite and growth hormone levels, according to new data presented at The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting. An article in Endocrine Today notes that ghrelin is a relatively new, small, appetite-stimulating, peptide hormone that is synthesized and secreted by the stomach, according to Carrie Burns, MD, assistant professor of medicine for the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. "These data are the first to demonstrate an improvement in appetite and growth hormone secretion with ghrelin administration in frail older women with unexplained weight loss," Burns said during a press conference. "We are gaining a better understanding of the hormonal changes that occur as we get older and, with treatments like ghrelin, we can start intervening to prevent some of the common health problems that keep elderly people from living their most productive lives," said Anne Cappola, MD, ScM, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Associate Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. This story was also picked up by the Doctor's Channel.com/Reuters Health and CBS affiliate WUSA-TV in Washington, DC (segment #6).
