Meal size, satiety and cholecystokinin in gastrectomized humans.

A wealth of data supports the idea that the stomach and cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) normally play important roles in meal size and satiety. We studied long-term gastrectomized humans to further evaluate this possibility. Ten humans, who were gastrectomized 8 (3-12) years earlier, and eight controls ate a meal from a plate placed on a scale connected to a computer and estimated their satiety every minute using a computerized rating scale. Blood levels of CCK-8 were measured before and after the meal. There was no difference between the groups in the amount of food consumed or in the perception of satiety during the meal. Gastrectomized humans had higher blood levels of CCK-8 than controls before the meal; the levels increased after the meal in the controls but not in the gastrectomized subjects. It is suggested that although the stomach and CCK-8 normally are involved in the control of meal size and satiety, their roles are dispensable.