Interior design
Interior Design

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Sending Signals: A Host of Hormones

A wealth of research has helped us understand more about the signals that talk to the hypothalamus to control body weight set points. They include the hormones insulin, leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin, and others. The pancreas, an organ the size of a small banana that lies near the stomach, secretes insulin. Insulin controls the amount of glucose in your blood by moving it into the cells, where this fuel can be used by your body for energy. Leptin, which is produced mainly by fat cells, contributes to long-term fullness signals by gauging the body’s overall energy stores. Yet another hormone, adiponectin, is also made by fat cells and involved in body-weight regulation, apparently by helping the body respond better to insulin and ramping up metabolism. Ghrelin, the so-called hunger hormone, tells the brain the stomach is empty, prompting hunger pangs and a drop in metabolism. Gastric bypass surgery (in which surgeons convert a person’s stomach to the size of a small egg, effectively bypassing most of the stomach) doesn’t just help people eat smaller amounts of food. The procedure also triggers a sharp drop in ghrelin levels, which lessens hunger and apparently contributes to the weight-reducing effects of gastric bypass. Traditional dieting, however, tends to boost ghrelin levels.

Source: George L. Blackburn, M.D., Ph.D., "Break Through Your Set Point: How to Finally Lose the Weight You Want and Keep It Off," 2008

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