GDF15 and chronic kidney disease: By contrast, GDF15 levels are greatly enhanced in a number of disease states, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease, pointing towards a more obvious role as a non-physiological anorectic signal (Patel et al., 2019; Welsh et al., 2003; Kempf et al., 2007; Ho et al., 2013; Bauskin et al., 2006; Luan et al., 2019).