Plasma ghrelin following cure of Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

After H. pylori cure, plasma ghrelin increased profoundly in asymptomatic subjects. This could lead to increased appetite and weight gain, and contribute to the increasing obesity seen in Western populations where H. pylori prevalence is low. This plausible biological mechanism links H pylori, through increasing obesity and GORD, to the increase in oesophageal adenocarcinoma observed in the West.