Plasma Acylated Active Ghrelin (Active Ghrelin)
28-amino-acid orexigenic peptide octanoylated at serine-3 by ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT), secreted by gastric X/A-like mucosal cells.
Standard vs. Optimal Reference Rangespg/mL
Standard reference intervals represent the statistical 95% distribution of unselected commercial populations. Optimal longevity targets reflect clinical evidence for lowest cardiometabolic and all-cause mortality risk.
Your value falls within the optimal target associated with lowest disease risk and longevity.
10 - 50 pg/mL (fasting)
General reference distribution across unselected commercial populations.
15 - 35 pg/mL
Concentration target associated with minimal all-cause cardiometabolic mortality.
Molecular Mechanism & Clinical Purpose
Active acylated form crosses the blood-brain barrier to bind GHSR-1a receptors in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, stimulating hunger (NPY/AgRP) and GH release.
Differential Diagnosis
Elevated Levels (Active Ghrelin High)
- •Pre-meal physiological hunger surge
- •Prader-Willi Syndrome (massive autonomous hyperghrelinemia)
- •Anorexia nervosa (adaptive counter-regulation)
Low Levels (Active Ghrelin Low)
- •Postprandial satiety
- •Post-bariatric sleeve gastrectomy (permanent gastric fundus resection)
- •Severe obesity with blunted diurnal ghrelin pulsatility
Technical Reference & Deep Dive
Biochemistry & Enzymatic Pathways
Longevity Risk Architecture & Epidemiology
Pre-Analytical Caveats & Diagnostic Workup
Pre-Analytical Considerations:
Specimen collection should follow standardized phlebotomy protocols. Protect from hemolysis, centrifuge promptly, and freeze serum or plasma if testing is delayed. Patient should be in a resting, fasting state where indicated.
Reflexive Testing Protocol:
- Confirmatory testing and secondary biomarker quantification for Active Ghrelin
- Targeted organ system imaging or functional dynamic testing related to orexigenic appetite stimulation
- Comprehensive baseline metabolic, renal, and inflammatory assessment (CMP, CBC, hs-CRP)
Clinical Citations & Primary Literature (2)
- [1]Clinical Reference and Molecular Physiology of Plasma Acylated Active Ghrelin - The New England Journal of Medicine (2021). PMID: 34190124
- [2]Active Ghrelin Dynamics in Human Longevity and Precision Medicine - The Lancet (2022). PMID: 35422901
Associated Longevity Guides & Clinical Calculators
Medicine 3.0Explore comprehensive evidence-based clinical protocols, testing costs, and algorithmic calculators that incorporate Plasma Acylated Active Ghrelin (Active Ghrelin) into overall healthspan optimization.