Matu, J, O’Hara, J, Hill, N et al. (9 more authors) (2017) Changes in appetite, energy intake, body composition, and circulating ghrelin constituents during an incremental trekking ascent to high altitude. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 117 (9). pp. 1917-1928. ISSN 1439-6319
Abstract
Purpose: Circulating acylated ghrelin concentrations are associated with altitude-induced anorexia in laboratory environments, but have never been measured at terrestrial altitude. This study examined time course changes in appetite, energy intake, body composition, and ghrelin constituents during a high-altitude trek. Methods: Twelve participants [age: 28(4) years, BMI 23.0(2.1) kg m−2] completed a 14-day trek in the Himalayas. Energy intake, appetite perceptions, body composition, and circulating acylated, des-acylated, and total ghrelin concentrations were assessed at baseline (113 m, 12 days prior to departure) and at three fixed research camps during the trek (3619 m, day 7; 4600 m, day 10; 5140 m, day 12). Results: Relative to baseline, energy intake was lower at 3619 m (P = 0.038) and 5140 m (P = 0.016) and tended to be lower at 4600 m (P = 0.056). Appetite perceptions were lower at 5140 m (P = 0.027) compared with baseline. Acylated ghrelin concentrations were lower at 3619 m (P = 0.046) and 4600 m (P = 0.038), and tended to be lower at 5140 m (P = 0.070), compared with baseline. Des-acylated ghrelin concentrations did not significantly change during the trek (P = 0.177). Total ghrelin concentrations decreased from baseline to 4600 m (P = 0.045). Skinfold thickness was lower at all points during the trek compared with baseline (P ≤ 0.001) and calf girth decreased incrementally during the trek (P = 0.010). Conclusions: Changes in plasma acylated and total ghrelin concentrations may contribute to the suppression of appetite and energy intake at altitude, but differences in the time course of these responses suggest that additional factors are also involved. Interventions are required to maintain appetite and energy balance during trekking at terrestrial altitudes.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2017. Open Access: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. |
Keywords: | Ghrelin; Hypoxia; Altitude-induced anorexia; Terrestrial altitude |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (Leeds) > Centre for Health Services Research (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 16 Nov 2017 15:53 |
Last Modified: | 06 Jul 2018 10:16 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Verlag |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s00421-017-3683-0 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:124108 |