Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Obesity is a disease with disastrous health, social and economic consequence. There is presently a global epidemic of obesity in all age groups and in both developed and developing countries. Understanding the nutrient and chemical sensing mechanisms in the gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) which act to trigger gut hormone release and appetite after food consumption is crucial to be able to devise effective methods to reduce and prevent obesity. Recently, the sweet tas...

Background: Obese subjects are usually in a positive energy balance despite their best efforts to lose weight. This study aimed to determine if hunger, nausea and satiety levels differ in lean and obese subjects after consuming varying calorific meals.Method: Following an overnight fast, test meals of 250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 kcal were consumed by 19 lean and 19 obese subjects. Hunger, nausea and satiety levels were measured using visual analogue sc...

The endogenous growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), ghrelin, is an important regulator of energy homeostasis. Peripheral and central administration of ghrelin increase food intake, body weight and fat mass, effects which are mediated by the growth hormone secretagogue receptor type 1a (GHS-R 1a). Although the central actions of ghrelin on adiposity have been extensively studied, the direct peripheral effects of ghrelin on adipose tissue remain poorly understood. This study aimed...

The gut hormone ghrelin is involved in feeding behaviour. It increases appetite and food intake when administered by intravenous infusion to subjects of normal weight. Ghrelin levels are often lower in obese than lean individuals and whether responsiveness to ghrelin differs in lean and obese people is not known. We investigated whether obese human subjects are sensitive to the effects of ghrelin. Approval of the local ethics committee was obtained. We examined the effects of ...

Background: Military personnel on operational deployment commonly lose weight despite the adequate supply of rations. Moderate weight loss (~5% body mass) occurred during the initial phase of a 6-month deployment to Afghanistan without affecting physical fitness. Reasons for this weight loss are presently unknown. We sought to establish whether changes in appetite regulatory hormones contribute to the observed weight loss.Methods: Body mass and body comp...

Background: Military training has been associated with changes in the hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis that are consistent with central hypogonadism (fall in testosterone, LH and FSH concentrations). The effects on the hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular axis of deployment to a combat zone are not known. The aim of this study was to clarify this situation.Methods: Military personnel were investigated pre-deployment (Pre-) and foll...