Ghrelin and Sleep

 Ghrelin has been shown to promote slow-wave sleep (non REM-sleep stages 3 and 4). Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Feb;284(2):E407-15 During sleep, Ghrelin levels increased during the early part of the night and decreased in the morning. This nocturnal increase was blunted during sleep deprivation and Ghrelin levels increased only slightly until the early morning. J Endocrinol. 2004 Feb;180(2):273-81 Shorter sleep duration has been demonstrated to increase Ghrelin levels. A short study involving 12 healthy young men who underwent sleep deprivation for 2 days and sleep extension for another 2 days, produced a rise in appetite and Ghrelin levels (28% increase), with decrease in leptin levels. Ann Intern Med. 2004 Dec 7;141(11):846-50.  Correlation with energy expenditure was not made in that study.

Ghrelin and Exercise

168 sedentary obese postmenopausal women underwent one year follow up with randomisation to either an aerobic exercise arm or stretching only. Women who did exercise lost 1.4 +/- 0.4 kg with a significant progressive increase in Ghrelin levels with no such change in those who did not. No effect of exercise on Ghrelin levels was demonstrable. Importantly, calorie intake-as assessed in the study did not change in either group. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Dec 7
Smoking was found to increase Ghrelin levels in the short term. Metabolism. 2003 Nov;52(11):1460-3.

Ghrelin and Drugs:

Serum Ghrelin concentrations were investigated in schizophrenic patients receiving Olanzapine or risperidone, and in healthy volunteers. Serum Ghrelin concentrations did not increase, but had in fact decreased, in patients treated with Olanzapine or risperidone in comparison with healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2004 Mar;172(2):230-2.  In strong contradiction, Olanzapine therapy has been demonstrated to produce Ghrelin rise with concomitant rise in body fat and leptin in another 6 month study in seven schizophrenic patients. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2005 Jan;30(1):106-10. The reader is advised to analyze the article further for correlation with BMI at baseline in these patients. In healthy lean controls 30 mg prednisolone treatment for 5 days reduced Ghrelin levels by 18%  Eur J Endocrinol. 2004 Jul;151(1):113-7.

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    This page was last updated on: 07/03/2007

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