Transcript Going for the 3 Increases

So What is Ghrelin?
Going for the 3 Increases: Increase in Health, Increase in
Happiness & Increase in Energy
Strategies for
Success in Weight
Management
By: James J. Messina, Ph.D.
What is Ghrelin
Hormone secreted by the stomach
 Novel-hormone-releasing peptide found
in hypothalamus & Stomach
 Appetite-stimulating hormone
 Sends “feed me” messages to brain
 Part of the body’s built-in defense
mechanism to protect against famine &
starvation

Human Ghrelin
What causes increase in Ghrelin






Dieting
Other forms of weight loss
Normal adaptive function of body to maintain
itself
When lose weight-body senses this as famine
Triggers survival mechanism to keep body
weight constant
SEE A PICTURE OF THIS NEXT SLIDE
What happens when Ghrelin
Increases?
Metabolism drops
 Person feels hungry
 Person east more
 Will power can only forestall the urge to
eat more for only a limited time

Why Gastric-bypass Surgery Shortcircuits Normal Body Response




Disables the ghrelin producing cells in stomach
Cells in stomach that produce ghrelin become
inactive
This happens when these cells are no longer
exposed to food in stomach
The ghrelin cells “go to sleep” when deprived
contact with ingested nutrients
Research reported in New England
Journal of Medicine – May 23, 2002
Conducted by VA Puget Sound Health
Center & University of Washington – led
by Dr. David Cummings -Endocrinologist
 Compared blood samples after six month
period of time of two groups of obese
patients
 13 dieters & 5 gastric-bypass patients
 Dieters were on low-fat, low-calorie diet

Findings of Study
Dieters lost 17% of their body weight but
their ghrelin level increased 24%
 Gastic-bypass patients lost 36% of their
body weight & their ghrelin levels fell
72% lower than those in diet group

Explanation for Difference in
Ghrelin Level with Gastric-bypass



Objective of Gastric-bypass is to shrink
stomach to only 5% of original size by rewiring
course of food through digestive system
Tiny new stomach pouch can only hold 2
teaspoons of food-which travels into first part of
small intestines
Permanent absence of food in rest of stomach
ultimately suppresses ghrelin production
Future of Weight Loss Efforts
Development of ghrelin antagonist-to
block production of ghrelin
 However, such a drug will never be
enough since we know that Binges are
often unrelated to hunger or sensation of
stomach emptiness but rather to
environmental cues soooooooo
 Will always need in addition: Healthy
eating & physical activity

More Information on Ghrelin
Check out the links on Ghrelin under Hot
Topics on our links section at:
http://www.coping.org/balanced/strategies/r
esource.htm#Ghrelin
