Ghrelin capacity for food but also dramatically lowers ghrelin levels compared to both lean controls and those that lost weight through dieting alone. However, studies are conflicting as to whether or not ghrelin levels return to nearly normal with gastric bypass patients in the long term after weight loss has stabilized. Bariatric surgeries involving vertical-sleeve gastrectomy reduce plasma ghrelin levels by about 60% in the long term. Ghrelin plasma concentration increases with age and this may contribute to the tendency for weight gain as people age. Ghrelin Ghrelin (pronounced ), the "hunger hormone", also known as lenomorelin (INN), is a peptide
Melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 2 Melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 2 Melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 2 (MCH) also known as G-protein coupled receptor 145 (GPR145) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the "MCHR2" gene. MCH is also found in dogs, ferrets, and some other primates and carnivores, but is not found in mice or rats. This has delayed research into the receptor as a therapeutic target, due to most early pharmaceutical research usually being conducted in small mammals such as mice, rats or rabbits which lack the MCH gene and its receptor product. Treatment of human cells expressing MCHR2 with MCH resulted in upregulation of