Association of Parameters of Metabolic Syndrome with Plasma Active Ghrelin Levels: A Study from North India

BACKGROUND Ghrelin is the strongest orexigenic hormone. Ghrelin is a gut-derived peptide hormone. Administered ghrelin has shown an increase in food intake and also stimulate the secretion of the growth hormone in rodents as well as in humans. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to association of parameters of Metabolic Syndrome with Plasma Active Ghrelin levels. MATERIALS & METHODS A total of 196 patients were enrolled in the study out of them 99 were cases and 97 were controls. RESULTS A significant negative correlation was found between Fasting plasma active ghrelin levels and systolic blood pressure (r = -0.68, p less than0.02), diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.60, p less than0.02), obesity (r = -0.65, p less than0.01), fasting insulin levels (r = -0.52, p less than0.01), insulin resistance (r = -0.39, p less than0.01). A deeper understanding on this interesting pleiotropic hormone could be anticipated to open new insights into the metabolic pathways causing a predisposition for obesity and its co-morbidities.