Effects of Nutrition on the Estrous Cycle Flashcards
What are the two nutritional states that can affect the estrous cycle?
under nutrition
increased nutrition
What does short term severe under nutrition cause?
almost immediate decrease in GnRH and LH levels
rapidly reversed when normal nutrition is restored
What does long term malnourishment cause?
decrease in GnRH and LH levels
starting them on normal ration will not always reverse
Critical body fat hypothesis
a certain degree of fatness is necessary for normal reproduction
(12-14% for males, 22% for females)
Metabolic fuels hypothesis
acute changes in caloric availability can control GnRH secretion
What is leptin?
- peptide hormone secreted from white adipose tissue
- circulating levels are directly correlated with fat stores
How does leptin function as a permissive signal for pulsatiile secretory activity of GnRH neurons?
leptin inhibits NPY neurons that are in turn inhibitory on GnRH neurons
(by inhibiting the inhibitor, it allows GnRH secretion)
What happens when fat stores decline (in regards to leptin)?
circulating levels of leptin drop and the GnRH pulse generator is suppressed
What is ghrelin?
peptide hormone secreted by the stomach in an endocrine manner
(secretion increases with fasting, so it is a signal of energy insufficiency)
How does ghrelin function to suppress GnRH?
recent evidence suggests it suppresses the kisspeptin system and thus suppresses GnRH
What is insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)?
produced by the liver in response to growth hormone stimulation
How does IGF-1 function to increase GnRH?
can directly enhance secretion in GnRH neurons and can act indirectly by increasing kisspeptin secretion from KND neurons
What are the 2 parts of the metabolic fuels hypothesis
- the fuel has to be present in the body in sufficient quantitiy
- the fuel has to be available for oxidation in tissues
What is the most important fuel that the body is detecting?
glucose
What site detects the information about metabolic fuel oxidation?
area postrema (AP) located in the hindbrain