EFFECT OF CARBOHYDRATE ON GHRELIN AND PEPTIDE YY IN PREPUBERTAL CHILDREN

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Obesity has become a worldwide problem, and more than 30% of children in the United States are now overweight or at risk for overweight. In the last few years, much has been learned about the neuroendocrine control of appetite and weight, specifically the role of gut hormones, such as ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY). The effects of specific nutritional factors on secretion of these hormones have been investigated to a limited degree in adults, though almost no data is available in children. Preliminary work of my own indicates that lean and overweight prepubertal children exhibit a much different pattern of secretion of these gut hormones in response to eating a mixed meal than do adults. Thus, children may also secrete these gut hormones differently in response to various macronutrients than the pattern seen in adults, which may have a great impact on potential therapies for childhood obesity. I propose to evaluate the ghrelin and PYY response following administration of carbohydrate in a group of prepubertal children in order to improve our understanding of how appetite and energy balance are regulated.