Relationship between ghrelin levels, alcohol craving, and nutritional status in current alcoholic patients.

Giovanni Addolorato, Esmeralda Capristo, Lorenzo Leggio, Anna Ferrulli, Ludovico Montebianco Abenavoli, Luisa Vonghia, Antonio Mirijello, Silvia Cardone, Giovanni Battista Gasbarrini

Risultato della ricerca: Contributo in rivistaArticolo in rivistapeer review

117 Citazioni (Scopus)

Abstract

Ghrelin is a peptide produced mainly by the gut and hypothalamus. Ghrelin is able to stimulate food-seeking behavior. Alcohol-craving and food-seeking behavior could share common neural circuits. Ghrelin is related to nutritional status, but few data are available in alcoholic patients on the relationship between ghrelin and nutritional disorders. METHODS: Plasma ghrelin was evaluated in 15 current alcoholic male patients compared with 15 healthy male volunteers. Craving was evaluated by the Obsessive-Compulsive Drinking Scale. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Energy substrate utilization was evaluated by indirect calorimetry. RESULTS: Ghrelin was significantly reduced in alcohol-dependent patients with respect to healthy subjects (p=0.0278). A significant positive correlation was found between ghrelin and craving (r=0.55; p=0.034). A preferential utilization of lipids as an energy substrate with a reduction of the fat mass (p=0.01) and an increase of the free fat mass (p=0.0091) was found in alcoholic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Within our sample showing low ghrelin levels probably related to the impaired nutritional status; patients with higher levels of ghrelin showed higher levels of alcohol craving. These preliminary data indicate that ghrelin could be implicated in the neurobiological mechanisms of alcohol craving, other than a hormone influenced by the nutritional status.
Lingua originaleEnglish
pagine (da-a)1933-1937
Numero di pagine5
RivistaALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Stato di pubblicazionePubblicato - 2006

Keywords

  • alcohol abuse
  • body composition

Fingerprint

Entra nei temi di ricerca di 'Relationship between ghrelin levels, alcohol craving, and nutritional status in current alcoholic patients.'. Insieme formano una fingerprint unica.

Cita questo