Mehdi Farokhnia1, Gwen Murphy2, Stephanie J Weinstein2, Navan N Shah3, Dominick Parisi4, Demetrius Albanes2, Lorenzo Leggio5. 1. Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore and Bethesda, MD, United States; Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States. Electronic address: mehdi.farokhnia@nih.gov. 2. Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States. 3. Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore and Bethesda, MD, United States. 4. Information Management Services, Inc., Silver Spring, MD, United States. 5. Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore and Bethesda, MD, United States; Medication Development Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States; Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States; Division of Addiction Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC, United States. Electronic address: lorenzo.leggio@nih.gov.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Ghrelin plays significant roles in regulating appetite, food intake, and metabolism. Furthermore, the ghrelin system is increasingly being studied in relation to alcohol seeking behaviors. To this end, it is important to understand the possible effects of alcohol intake on the ghrelin system. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between alcohol drinking and circulating ghrelin levels in a large sample of cigarette-smoking, non-alcohol-dependent male individuals. METHODS: We utilized data from two nested case-control studies (study A, n = 807; study B, n = 976) based within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) trial. Data on alcohol consumption (grams of pure alcohol consumed per day) were obtained via a food frequency questionnaire. Blood samples were also collected (after 12 h of fasting), and serum concentrations of total ghrelin were measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Dichotomous comparison between alcohol drinkers (>0 g/day of alcohol intake) and non-drinkers (0 g/day of alcohol intake) found higher total ghrelin levels among individuals who drank alcohol than those who did not, with statistically significant results in study A [F (1, 798) = 4.32, P = 0.03] and less robust results in study B [F (1, 966) = 2.62, P = 0.10], controlling for a list of factors that may influence ghrelin levels and/or differ between drinkers and non-drinkers. Bivariate correlational analysis among drinkers found no association between the quantity of daily alcohol intake and blood total ghrelin concentrations. CONCLUSION: These results indicate elevated ghrelin levels among alcohol drinkers and provide additional/relevant information on the complex interaction between alcohol use and the ghrelin system. Published by Elsevier B.V.
BACKGROUND: Ghrelin plays significant roles in regulating appetite, food intake, and metabolism. Furthermore, the ghrelin system is increasingly being studied in relation to alcohol seeking behaviors. To this end, it is important to understand the possible effects of alcohol intake on the ghrelin system. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between alcohol drinking and circulating ghrelin levels in a large sample of cigarette-smoking, non-alcohol-dependent male individuals. METHODS: We utilized data from two nested case-control studies (study A, n = 807; study B, n = 976) based within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) trial. Data on alcohol consumption (grams of pure alcohol consumed per day) were obtained via a food frequency questionnaire. Blood samples were also collected (after 12 h of fasting), and serum concentrations of total ghrelin were measured by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Dichotomous comparison between alcohol drinkers (>0 g/day of alcohol intake) and non-drinkers (0 g/day of alcohol intake) found higher total ghrelin levels among individuals who drank alcohol than those who did not, with statistically significant results in study A [F (1, 798) = 4.32, P = 0.03] and less robust results in study B [F (1, 966) = 2.62, P = 0.10], controlling for a list of factors that may influence ghrelin levels and/or differ between drinkers and non-drinkers. Bivariate correlational analysis among drinkers found no association between the quantity of daily alcohol intake and blood total ghrelin concentrations. CONCLUSION: These results indicate elevated ghrelin levels among alcohol drinkers and provide additional/relevant information on the complex interaction between alcohol use and the ghrelin system. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Authors: Mary R Lee; Mehdi Farokhnia; Enoch Cobbina; Anitha Saravanakumar; Xiaobai Li; Jillian T Battista; Lisa A Farinelli; Fatemeh Akhlaghi; Lorenzo Leggio Journal: Neuropharmacology Date: 2019-09-23 Impact factor: 5.250
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Authors: Sara L Deschaine; Mehdi Farokhnia; Adriana Gregory-Flores; Lia J Zallar; Zhi-Bing You; Hui Sun; Deon M Harvey; Renata C N Marchette; Brendan J Tunstall; Bharath K Mani; Jacob E Moose; Mary R Lee; Eliot Gardner; Fatemeh Akhlaghi; Marisa Roberto; James L Hougland; Jeffrey M Zigman; George F Koob; Leandro F Vendruscolo; Lorenzo Leggio Journal: Addict Biol Date: 2021-04-27 Impact factor: 4.093