The present study was designed to investigate the relations between plasma
ghrelin concentrations, eating patterns, and circulating concentrations of
cortisol and
thyroid hormones in women with
anorexia nervosa,
bulimia nervosa, and
binge-eating disorder. The patterns of disordered eating behavior were assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the
Bulimia Test-Revised (BULIT-R). In women with
eating disorders, but not in healthy control women, plasma
ghrelin concentrations were negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI) and plasma concentrations of
thyreotropin (TSH), free T3 and free T4, and positively correlated with plasma concentrations of
cortisol. The
ghrelin concentrations of women with
binge-eating and purging behavior were significantly lower than those of women with
anorexia nervosa, restricting type, and there was a negative relation between the frequency and severity of
binge-eating and purging behavior, as measured by the BULIT-R total score, and
ghrelin concentrations. In a multivariate regression model controlling for the confounding effects of body mass index (BMI) and age, higher
ghrelin concentrations were correlated with lower BULIT-R total scores. The results of this study did not confirm the hypothesis advanced in previous studies that
ghrelin concentrations are higher in patients with
binge-eating/purging forms of
eating disorders. Based on these data, we suggest that, in women with
eating disorders,
ghrelin concentrations best reflect nutritional status rather than specific patterns of disordered eating behavior.