Endocrine Abstracts

Context: An interaction between gut-derived ghrelin, which is implicated in the regulation of short- and long-term energy balance, and thyroid function has previously been reported in patients with hyperthyroidism, in whom ghrelin levels are reversibly suppressed. In the present study, we measured total serum ghrelin levels and pertinent metabolic indices in hypothyroid patients before end after L-thyroxin replacement.Patients and methods:...

Background: Physiological elevations of free fatty acids (FFAs) occur in a dynamic bell-shaped fashion lasting some hours, e.g. nocturnally and during exercise. In order to define the metabolic role of physiological elevations in relation to diurnal fluctuations in insulin sensitivity, the present study was designed to identify the metabolic effects of a dynamic 4 hour elevation of FFAs during a glucose clamp.Materials and methods: 8 lean, healthy men we...

Objective: The short-term cardiovascular effects of continuous ghrelin infusion in healthy humans remain to be studied.Methods: Fifteen healthy, young and normal-weight men volunteered to participate in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study. The local ethics committee approved the study. We used a constant infusion of human ghrelin at a rate of 5 pmol/kg body weight per minute for 180 minutes and measured peak left ventricular my...