Hormones Impacting Food Seeking Behavior Lori Thompson

Selected Hormone Actions on Food Intake - Concentration in body Origin Action Ghrelin Increases between meals based on previously consumed volume of food Stomach Stimulates appetite Leptin Higher in obesity, but cells may be resistant Adipose Tissue Suppresses appetite, increases energy expenditure PYY Lower in obesity, increases after a meal Small intestine Suppresses appetite Neuropeptide Y Increases between meals, triggered by falling blood glucose levels Hypothalamus Stimulates appetite particularly carbohydrate cravings, promotes energy storage as fat Adiponectin Higher in obesity Primarily visceral fat stores Increases insulin sensitivity

Hormonal Control of Food Intake Determined by: Genetic instructions Body’s fat mass Body’s lean tissues Amount/volume of food in previous meal Sensitivity of hormone receptor sites Macronutrients entering small intestine Food intake influenced by input from nervous system Stomach’s stretch receptors Afferent sensory fibers from mouth, eyes, nose, etc. trigger a reward cascade that releases dopamine

More information on this topic Many peer-reviewed journal articles on this topic. One good article can be found at: Morton, G. J., Cummings, D. E., Baskin, D. G., Barsh, G. S., & Schwartz, M. W. (2006). Central nervous system control of food intake and body weight. Nature, 443(21), 289-295.