Background: Aging is associated with a decrease in appetite and a slowing of gastric emptying. The gastrointestinal hormones cholecystokinin (CCK), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and peptide YY (PYY) may mediate these changes. Objective: We investigated whether aging influenced the secretion of CCK, GLP-1, and PYY and their effects on appetite and pyloric motility. Design: Eight healthy older (65-80 y) and 7 younger (20-34 y) men received isoenergetic (12.1 kJ/min) intraduodenal infusions of lipid and glucose for 120 min on separate days. Plasma CCK, GLP-1, and PYY concentrations were measured. Results: Plasma CCK concentrations were higher in older than in younger subjects (P = 0.004) as a result of higher baseline values (4.7 ± 0.2 compared with 3.2 ± 0.2 pmol/L; P < 0.0001) and a greater rise during lipid infusion (increase from baseline: 7.1 ± 0.5 compared with 5.3 ± 0.6 pmol/L; P = 0.048). Plasma GLP-1 and PYY concentrations were not significantly different between groups. The decrease in hunger during intraduodenal lipid infusion was inversely related to the increase in CCK, GLP-1, and PYY in younger but not older subjects. During intraduodenal lipid infusion, the increase in isolated pyloric pressure wave (IPPW) frequency was positively related to GLP-1 and PYY and the increase in IPPW amplitude was positively related to CCK in older but not younger subjects, whereas the increase in IPPW amplitude and pyloric tone was negatively related to GLP-1 and PYY in younger subjects. Conclusions: Human aging is associated with increased CCK concentrations, which may contribute to the slowing of gastric emptying, mediated by increased pyloric motility. The role of increased plasma CCK concentrations in mediating the agerelated decrease in appetite remains to be established.Am J Clin Nutr 1999;69:999-1006.
KEY WORDSCholecystokinin, CCK, glucagon-like peptide 1, GLP-1, peptide YY, PYY, appetite, pylorus, gastric emptying, small intestine, elderly, men, aging
INTRODUCTIONAging is associated with a decrease in appetite and food intake (1, 2); additionally, body weight tends to decrease from 65 to 70 y of age (1). This anorexia of aging may predispose the elderly to pathologic weight loss and increased morbidity and mortality (3). The causes of the anorexia of aging are unknown but are likely to be multifactorial.Appetite is controlled by a central system that is responsible for the initiation of eating and that is held in check by a peripheral satiety system, which is activated by the presence of food in the gastrointestinal tract (3). An important mediator of gastrointestinal satiety signals is thought to be the release of gastrointestinal satiety hormones, including cholecystokinin (CCK) (4, 5), bombesin, glucagon, and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) (6), induced by interaction of nutrients with receptors in the small intestine (4).Gastric emptying of nutrients is slightly slower in healthy elderly than in young adults (7,8) and there is evidence that this may contribute to increased satiation, perhaps by p...