The Effect of Sweet-tasting Foods Addiction on Appetite-related Hormones among Obese Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Food ingestion and energy spending are organized through a complicated neurological system that involves both hypothalamic centers and peripheral satiety regulation (gastrointestinal and pancreatic hormones). Objectives: To assess the effects of sugar addiction on appetite-related hormones and metabolic hormones.Materials and methods: The study was done in two main hospitals in Anbar governorate, Iraq from April 2020 to November 2020. Concentration of fasting blood glucose (FBG), insulin, hormone insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), leptin, ghrelin, lipid profile, TSH, T3, and T4 were measured in the 54 obese adolescents and were compared with 54 normal-weight adolescents.Results: There was a significant increase in the concentrations of FBG, insulin, HOMA-IR, leptin, total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TAG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and TSH in obese adolescents as compared to normal-weight adolescents (P-value <0.05). While there was a significant (P < 0.05) decreased in the concentrations of ghrelin, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), T3, and T4 in obese adolescents compared with normal-weight adolescents. The results also showed that there is a significant positive correlation between the concentration of leptin and each of BMI, FBG, insulin, and HOMA-IR, while there was a significant negative association between leptin level with HDL-C and ghrelin. Conclusion: Sweet-tasting meals are a major source of stimulation, which leads to overeating and thus leads to obesity.