GHRL and atherosclerosis: Some of these studies found no correlation between the total ghrelin levels and tobacco smoking (pregnant women, fasting ghrelin [136]; fasting ghrelin [133]; large study in Finnish population, total 1024 subjects with atherosclerosis, satiety status not mentioned [137]) One study noted that the plasma concentration of acetylated ghrelin, but not the total ghrelin, was significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers and that lower acyl-ghrelin levels were correlated with the severity of nicotine dependence (blood sampled 2 h after meal and 3h after last cigarette) [138].