OBJECTIVE: Ghrelin is a hormone secreted mainly in the stomach which stimulates 
appetite and food intake. Endocrine factors are among the causes of anorexia in 
elderly people. The main objective of the present study was to examine the 
effect of age on ghrelin levels in non-institutionalized elderly people.
DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational, cross-sectional, population-based study.
PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of men aged 70 yr or older was taken from the 
municipal census.
MEASUREMENTS: All participants underwent a physical examination which measured 
weight and height, grip strength, functional capacity (according to the Barthel 
Index) and nutritional status (according to the short form of the Mini 
Nutritional Assessment). Blood was taken for basic biochemical analysis, 
determination of somatotropic, corticotropic, and gonadotropic hormones, and for 
measurement of ghrelin and cholecystokinin.
RESULTS: 152 men with a mean (SD) age of 76.7 (5.4) yr were recruited. Mean 
ghrelin levels were 1143 (401) pg/ml. A weak negative correlation was found 
between ghrelin levels and age (r=-0.16, p=0.057). Multiple linear regression 
analysis showed a significant and independent effect of age (beta=-12.1, 
p=0.049), body mass index (BMI) (beta=-22.0, p=0.021), and creatinine levels 
(beta=407.7, p=0.002) on ghrelin. No correlations with age and BMI were found 
for cholecystokinin.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a slight decrease in ghrelin levels with age in older men 
aged 70 yr or more, although the clinical relevance of this finding remains 
unclear.