Endocrine disturbances in anorexia nervosa : resistance to hedonic feeding hormone ghrelin

• Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a devastating psychiatric condition associated with a high mortality and chronicity and for which the etiology is unknown. Recent genomic-wide association studies suggest that AN is a psychometabolic disorder, having identified several genes that link AN to both psychiatric disorders and metabolic states. One of the metabolic factors that have since long been of interest in eating disorder pathophysiology is ghrelin, an orexigenic hormone produced by the gut. Ghrelin increases before food intake and stimulates appetite, reducing insulin, and is linked to increase in norepinephrine and growth hormone. Ghrelin exists in different forms in humans, i.e., as acyl-ghrelin, the activated form, and desacyl-ghrelin, a previously presumed inactive form, that may counteract the effects of acyl-ghrelin. Both have consistently been found to be increased in AN both in the acute stage and after weight restoration therapy, in spite of a lack of increase in appetite. Some findings indicate that individuals with long-standing AN develop resistance to the increased ghrelin levels, a process where exercise may be involved. This review present some of the most recent findings in the field of ghrelin research, as relevant for the understanding of the pathophysiology of AN.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Psykiatri (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Psychiatry (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Fysiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Physiology (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Acyl-ghrelin

Anorexia nervosa

Desacyl-ghrelin

Disease model

Eating disorders

Exercise

Ghrelin

Ghrelin resistance

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

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