The ghrelin story started more than 30 years ago with the discovery of synthetic GH secretagogues. Only in 1999 was ghrelin, a natural GH-releasing peptide, discovered. Ghrelin, however, is much more than simply a natural GH secretagogue. In fact, this hormone is one of the most important factors known for regulating appetite and energy expenditure. Furthermore, ghrelin is the trigger for other neuroendocrine, metabolic and nonendocrine actions. This book, written by researchers who provided the major contributions to our current knowledge of this complex system, gives a comprehensive overview of the recent advances in ghrelin research. The hormone's influence on the cardiovascular, metabolic and gastroenteropancreatic system, hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, prolactin secretion, thyroid axis, gonadal axis as well as on behavior is discussed in detail. Furthermore, the clinical perspectives for ghrelin-derived therapeutic products are presented. Illustrating the tight inter-relationship between endocrinology, metabolism, cardiovascular disease and internal medicine, this book is essential reading for all scientists interested in appetite control, body weight and energy expenditure, as well as diabetes mellitus and neuroendocrinology.