SynthesisNutrients2021
Ghrelin as a Biomarker of Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- DHEA as a Biomarker of Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation modulates stress-induced plasma ghrelin levels: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Trial
- Momentary associations between perceived stress, dietary restriction, and eating behaviors in adolescents.Journal of pediatric psychology · 2026Article
- Reproduction under Siege: How Chronic Stress Hijacks the HPG Axis?Neuroendocrinology · 2026Review
- Article
- Exploration of Early-Treatment-Associated Changes in Metabolic and Inflammatory Biomarkers in First-Episode Psychosis in Italian Patients.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Occupational stress and its association with obesity among Healthcare Workers in Madinah.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Obesity: Overlapping Neuroendocrine, Metabolic, and Behavioral Pathways.Nutrients · 2025Review
- The Role of Adipokines and Gene Polymorphisms in the Development of Obesity- Induced Depression.Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- Evidence for independent actions of the CRF and ghrelin systems in binge-like alcohol drinking in mice.Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry · 2025Article
- The effects of digital nature and actual nature on stress reduction: A meta-analysis and systematic review.Internet interventions · 2024Review
- Article
- Tackling Cravings in Medical Weight Management: An Update on Pathophysiology and an Integrated Approach to Treatment.Nutrients · 2024Review
- Novel Pharmaceuticals in Appetite Regulation: Exploring emerging gut peptides and their pharmacological prospects.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2024Review
- Exploring the relationship between occupational stress, physical activity and sedentary behavior using the Job-Demand-Control Model.Frontiers in public health · 2024Observational
- Ghrelin as a Biomarker of "Immunometabolic Depression" and Its Connection with Dysbiosis.Nutrients · 2023Review
- The Wicked Relationship between Depression and Metabolic Syndrome.Clinical neuropsychiatry · 2023Review
- The effect of a pharmaceutical ghrelin agonist on lifespan in C57BL/6J male mice: A controlled experiment.Aging cell · 2023Article
- The Impact of Job-Demand-Control-Support on Leptin and Ghrelin as Biomarkers of Stress in Emergency Healthcare Workers.Nutrients · 2022Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionGhrelin is an orexigenic hormone which favors food-seeking behavior and has been postulated to be a biomarker of stress. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the evolution of ghrelin levels following acute stress.
methodsThe PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and ScienceDirect databases were searched for studies reporting ghrelin levels before and after acute stress in humans.
resultsWe included ten studies for a total of 348 patients. Acute stress (intervention) was always in a laboratory. Acute stress was psychological (Trier Social Stress Test), physical, or mixed (cold pressure test). The overall meta-analysis demonstrated an increase in ghrelin after the stress intervention (ES = 0.21, 95CI 0.09 to 0.34) compared with baseline levels. Stratification by time demonstrated an acute increase in ghrelin levels in the five minutes immediately following the initiation of stress (0.29, 0.10 to 0.48) but without any difference after. Obese individuals had a more significant (ES = 0.51, 95CI 0.18 to 0.84) and prolonged increase in ghrelin levels for up to 45 min compared with non-obese individuals who had a significant increase only five minutes after stress. Moreover, the ghrelin levels increased in response to stress with BMI (coefficient 0.028, 0.01 to 0.49;
conclusionGhrelin is a biomarker of stress, with a short-term increase following acute stress. Obese individuals have both a higher and prolonged response, emphasizing the link between obesity and stress.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.