No abstract

Very small but cumulated decreases in food intake may be sufficient to erase obesity over a period of years. We examine the effect of slight changes in the accessibility of different foods in a pay-by-weight-of-food salad bar in a cafeteria serving adults for the lunch period. Making a food slightly more difficult to reach (by varying its proximity by about 10 inches) or changing the serving utensil (spoon or tongs) modestly but reliably reduces intake, in the range of 8–16%. Given this effect, it is possible that making calorie-dense foods less accessible and low-calorie foods more accessible over an extended period of time would result in significant weight loss.

Glucagon-induced growth hormone (GH) secretion was studied in healthy subjects under basal conditions (n = 18), and when treated with TRH (n = 10), cyproheptadine (n = 8) and pimozide (n = 6). With glucagon alone, the mean serum GH level significantly increased at 150 minutes and at 180 minutes. TRH administered as a bolus injection completely suppressed the GH response to glucagon. Cyproheptadine pretreatment resulted in a substantial suppression of the GH response to glucagon. A significant difference between basal and post-cyproheptadine GH levels was observed at 150 minutes after glucagon. Pimozide pretreatment was followed by a reduction of GH response to glucagon, but the difference between control and pimozide-treated groups was not significant. In conclusion, it is proposed that glucagon-induced GH secretion is at least partly mediated via serotoninergic mechanisms while significant dopaminergic involvement does not seem probable. It is further suggested that TRH plays a substantial inhibitory role in glucagon-stimulated SH secretion.

Table 1 Plasma AVP (pg!ml) levels in unstirnulated Dogs (group A) and Dogs on PEEP (group B) Time Dextrose infusion Somatostalin infusic.,~ Dextrose infusion in Mnutes