Alcohol and the appetizer effect.

In order to evaluate the effects of alcohol on appetite, 12 unrestrained and 10 restrained men ate lunch 20 min after consuming preloads consisting of water, an alcoholic fruit juice (alcohol) and a non-alcoholic fruit juice (juice). The unrestrained men ate significantly less after the juice preload, and ate most after alcohol. Intake was not altered significantly in the restrained men. However, both the alcohol and juice preloads reduced rated hunger and increased fullness, relative to the water control, in both restrained and unrestrained men. When the relationship between rated appetite and intake within the test meal was modelled mathematically, it was found that hunger increased more during the initial stages of the test meal in the unrestrained men who had consumed alcohol than in any other condition. No such effects were seen in the restrained subjects. Overall, these results suggest that alcohol has a complex action on appetite, which includes some form of appetite stimulation, and this may explain the excess energy intake reported previously in moderate alcohol consumers.

Inhibitory effect of sandostatin on secretion of luteinising hormone and ovarian steroids in polycystic ovary syndrome.

Hyperinsulinism accompanies the raised luteinising hormone (LH) concentrations in women with the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Somatostatin inhibits insulin and LH secretion in healthy adults, so the effect of treatment with a long-acting somatostatin analogue ('Sandostatin') on gonadotropin and androgen secretion in PCOS was investigated. LH pulsatility, androgen concentrations, and hormonal responses to an oral glucose load and to administration of a GnRH agonist (buserelin) were measured before and after 7 days' treatment with sandostatin 100 micrograms subcutaneously twice a day in 10 amenorrhoeic women with classic features of PCOS. Sandostatin significantly reduced integrated LH concentrations and LH pulse amplitudes, oestradiol, testosterone, and androstenedione concentrations, and LH responses to buserelin; it also suppressed insulin and C-peptide responses to an oral glucose load. Thus sandostatin inhibits pituitary and ovarian hormonal responses in part by a direct influence on pituitary activity, and the possibility of an indirect effect mediated by changes in insulin concentrations requires investigation. These findings have implications for the treatment of infertility in women with PCOS.