Ghrelin, obestatin and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio as potential mediators for food intake among obese children: a case control study
-
Gamal S. Aly
,
Hanaa H. Ahmed
Abstract
Background
Ghrelin and obestatin are two gastric hormones encoded by the same preproghrelin gene that convey information concerning nutritional status to the central nervous system. Ghrelin has been considered as an appetite stimulating peptide that has a role in the regulation of energy homeostasis. Obestatin has been described for its appetite suppressing effects opposing ghrelin’s effect on food intake. The study aimed to evaluate ghrelin, obestatin and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio in obese children compared to non-obese and correlate them to food macronutrients intake.
Methods
This study is a cross-sectional case control study comprising 60 obese children, in addition to 31 age- and sex-matched controls. All children were subjected to clinical examination, anthropometric assessment, and a 3-day 24-h dietary recall. Fasting serum ghrelin and obestatin levels were evaluated, the ghrelin/obestatin ratio was calculated and they were correlated to macronutrients intake.
Results
Obese children had significantly lower serum fasting levels of ghrelin, obestatin and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio than the control group. The mean intake of total energy and macronutrients was significantly higher in obese children. Ghrelin showed positive correlation with total energy and fat intake in the obese group. Obestatin had positive correlations with total energy and fat intake while the ghrelin/obestatin ratio had a negative correlation with the total energy intake in the control group.
Conclusions
Ghrelin, obestatin and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio were significantly lower in obese children and significantly associated with their total energy intake. Disturbed ghrelin to obestatin balance may have a role in the etiology and pathophysiology of obesity.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the children, their parents and the technicians who helped in the laboratory analysis.
Authors’ contribution: Hormonal laboratory analysis was carried out by HA and GMA. Nutritional analysis was performed by NA. AK recruited the eligible patients and collected the data supervised by NH and RT. RE was responsible for anthropological assessment and correlating to other data. GSA, NH, GMA and RT participated in study design and analysis. Data was analyzed statistically by SE. AK and RT drafted the manuscript and all authors reviewed it.
Research funding: This study was funded by the National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt.
Honorarium: None declared.
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that there are no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) the present work.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Air occlusion in insulin pumps of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes
- Gastrointestinal symptoms in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Adherence to multiple medications in the TODAY (Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth) cohort: effect of additional medications on adherence to primary diabetes medication
- Ghrelin, obestatin and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio as potential mediators for food intake among obese children: a case control study
- Association between neck circumference and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Mexican children and adolescents with obesity
- Comparison between metabolically healthy obesity and metabolically unhealthy obesity by different definitions among Mexican children
- Evidence in obese children: contribution of tri-ponderal mass index or body mass index to dyslipidemia, obesity-inflammation, and insulin sensitivity
- Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its associated factors in overweight and obese adolescents
- Cortisol secretion pattern in overweight/obese and normal-weight infants: a cross-sectional study
- Predictors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among children with obesity
- Relative leptin deficiency in children with severe early-onset obesity (SEOO) – results of the Early-onset Obesity and Leptin – German-Polish Study (EOL-GPS)
- Novel associations of serum adropin and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein versus lipid profiles in childhood obesity
- The trade-off between the olfactory bulb and eyeball volume in precocious puberty
- Gender-based differences in the clustering of metabolic syndrome factors in children and adolescents
- Presentation of 14 alkaptonuria patients from Turkey
- Assessment of health-related quality of life in Egyptian children and adolescents with congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Case Reports
- Familial hypophosphatemic rickets caused by a PHEX gene mutation accompanied by a NPR2 missense mutation
- Cinacalcet treatment experience in hereditary vitamin D resistant rickets
- Can we effectively predict the occurrence of cerebral edema in children with ketoacidosis in the course of type 1 diabetes? – case report and literature review
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Air occlusion in insulin pumps of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes
- Gastrointestinal symptoms in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus
- Adherence to multiple medications in the TODAY (Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth) cohort: effect of additional medications on adherence to primary diabetes medication
- Ghrelin, obestatin and the ghrelin/obestatin ratio as potential mediators for food intake among obese children: a case control study
- Association between neck circumference and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Mexican children and adolescents with obesity
- Comparison between metabolically healthy obesity and metabolically unhealthy obesity by different definitions among Mexican children
- Evidence in obese children: contribution of tri-ponderal mass index or body mass index to dyslipidemia, obesity-inflammation, and insulin sensitivity
- Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its associated factors in overweight and obese adolescents
- Cortisol secretion pattern in overweight/obese and normal-weight infants: a cross-sectional study
- Predictors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among children with obesity
- Relative leptin deficiency in children with severe early-onset obesity (SEOO) – results of the Early-onset Obesity and Leptin – German-Polish Study (EOL-GPS)
- Novel associations of serum adropin and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein versus lipid profiles in childhood obesity
- The trade-off between the olfactory bulb and eyeball volume in precocious puberty
- Gender-based differences in the clustering of metabolic syndrome factors in children and adolescents
- Presentation of 14 alkaptonuria patients from Turkey
- Assessment of health-related quality of life in Egyptian children and adolescents with congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Case Reports
- Familial hypophosphatemic rickets caused by a PHEX gene mutation accompanied by a NPR2 missense mutation
- Cinacalcet treatment experience in hereditary vitamin D resistant rickets
- Can we effectively predict the occurrence of cerebral edema in children with ketoacidosis in the course of type 1 diabetes? – case report and literature review
