Effects of an Oral Ghrelin Mimetic on Body Composition and Clinical Outcomes in Healthy Older Adults

Growth hormone and IGF-I data were not normally distributed and were analyzed on the natural logarithmic scale. Line graphs show geometric means and 95% CIs. Results of growth hormone deconvolution analysis are included in Appendix Table 1. A. Mean 24-hour GH levels. The dashed line indicates 24-hour mean GH level for young men and women combined (~1.3 g/L). *P < 0.001 for MK-677 versus placebo. B. Serum IGF-I levels. The lower dotted line indicates the lower limit of the IGF-I normal range for older adults (59 to 225 g/L), and the upper dashed line indicates the lower limit in adults age 21 to 25 years (116 to 358 g/L). C. Representative 24-hour GH profile in a 70-year-old man with a body mass index of 23.2 kg/m² who received MK-677 for 1 year. His 24-hour mean GH levels were 0.37, 1.0, and 0.86 g/L at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months, respectively. The pulsatile pattern of GH secretion at baseline is maintained and enhanced at 6 and 12 months, primarily because of increased secretion per peak rather than peak frequency.