Study summary · research use only
Growth hormone releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2), like ghrelin, increases food intake in healthy men
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
In this human study, seven lean healthy men were infused subcutaneously with GHRP-2 (1 microg/kg/h) or saline for 270 minutes, then offered an ad libitum buffet meal. The authors report that subjects ate 35.9 +/- 10.9% more when infused with GHRP-2 than with saline, with every subject increasing intake even per kilogram body weight, while macronutrient composition did not differ. Serum GH rose significantly during GHRP-2 infusion. The authors describe these as the first data showing that GHRP-2, like ghrelin, increases food intake, and suggest GHRP-2 as a tool for investigating ghrelin effects on eating behaviour in humans.
Abstract
GHRP-2 is a synthetic agonist of ghrelin, the newly-discovered gut peptide which binds to the growth hormone (GH) secretagogue receptor. Ghrelin has two major effects, stimulating both GH secretion and appetite/meal initiation. GHRP-2 has been extensively studied for its utility as a growth hormone secretagogue (GHS). Animal studies have shown its effect on food intake. However, whether GHRP-2 can also stimulate appetite in humans when administered acutely is not known. We subcutaneously infused 7 lean, healthy males with GHRP-2 (1 microg/kg/h) or saline for 270 minutes and then measured their intake of an ad libitum, buffet-style meal. Similar to what has been reported for ghrelin administration, our subjects ate 35.9 +/- 10.9% more when infused with GHRP-2 vs. saline, with every subject increasing their intake even when calculated per kg body weight (136.0 +/- 13.0 kJ/kg [32.5 +/- 3.1 kcal/kg] vs. 101.3 +/- 10.5 kJ/kg [24.2 +/- 2.5 kcal/kg], p = 0.008). The macronutrient composition of consumed food was not different between conditions. As expected, serum GH levels rose significantly during GHRP-2 infusion (AUC 5550 +/- 1090 microg/L/240 min vs. 412 +/- 161 microg/L/240 min, p = 0.003). These data are the first to demonstrate that GHRP-2, like ghrelin, increases food intake, suggesting that GHRP-2 is a valuable tool for investigating ghrelin effects on eating behavior in humans.
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