TY - JOUR T1 - Digest JF - Gut JO - Gut SP - 893 LP - 893 VL - 54 IS - 7 AU - Robin Spiller Y1 - 2005/07/01 UR - http://gut.bmj.com/content/54/7/893.2.abstract N2 - Gastrectomy removes the main source of ghrelin and in man is associated with substantial weight loss, decrease in body fat, and demineralisation. The study by Dornonville de la Cour et al examines the effects of replacement therapy with ghrelin in gastrectomised mice. The mice, like men, show a marked fall in basal ghrelin levels, a 15% fall in body weight, and about a 20% fall in bone mineral density. Ghrelin increased body fat and weight, largely abolishing the effect of gastrectomy. It did not alter the decrease in bone minimal density nor did it have a significant effect on lean body mass. In sham-operated animals, the effect of ghrelin was transient, increasing weight only for the first two weeks. This study shows that while in the short term ghrelin stimulates appetite, in the long term its main effect is to promote the deposition of fat, possibly by encouraging metabolism of carbohydrate rather than fat. These results suggest that ghrelin replacement therapy could ameliorate some of the adverse effects of gastrectomy. … ER -