29 May 2012

How does the body regulate appetite and body weight? Part 2.

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Hungry for some more info on our bodies’ appetite regulation? Read on.

Weight management

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Hungry for some more info on our bodies’ appetite regulation? Read on.

In my previous blog, I mentioned the importance of the part of the brain called the hypothalamus in appetite control. There is another way that the hypothalamus receives signals, and this is via sensors in the stomach. Amazingly, these signals are sent both via the nervous system and the blood.

It would appear that the stomach sends its signals via nerves based purely on volume, regardless of what we’ve eaten. So quite simply, once our tummy gets full, the signal is sent to stop eating. Interestingly, the small intestine seems to send signals to stop eating based on nutrient content of food rather than volume. This is an interesting factor when thinking about foods with specific nutrient content for weight loss.

In addition to these nervous system signals, gut hormones are also involved. These also seem to be released based on body weight and nutrient content in the small intestine. Two of the most import ones are below:

Cholecystokinin

This mouthful of a hormone was the first one to be identified as important in appetite control. Studies have shown that when food hits the small intestine, it releases cholecystokinin, which has an appetite suppressing effect.

Ghrelin

The stomach releases ghrelin in response to body weight. It appears that as body weight reduces, levels of ghrelin in the blood increase, and it may play a role in increasing appetite.

Biochemically, regulation of appetite is highly complex! There is still much to discover in the way of research.

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