Hunger hormones

Two hormones play a crucial role in regulating hunger and satiety: ghrelin and leptin. These hormones work together to influence your eating behaviour and keep your energy balance in check.

Ghrelin: the hunger hormone

Ghrelin — often called the 'hunger hormone' — is produced by the stomach when it is empty. It signals to the brain that it's time to eat. When your stomach is empty, ghrelin levels in the blood rise, creating a feeling of hunger. This is a natural response that prompts us to seek food and eat in order to replenish our energy reserves.

Leptin: the satiety hormone

Leptin — the 'satiety hormone' — is produced by fat cells. It tells your brain that you've eaten enough and that you're full. Leptin production is stimulated by various signals in the body:

• When the body receives cues that it's time to eat, for example from seeing or smelling food.
• While chewing food.
• When food reaches the stomach.

These signals highlight the importance of eating slowly and chewing thoroughly for a good sense of fullness.

A disrupted ghrelin-leptin balance

Unfortunately, the balance between ghrelin and leptin can be thrown off, leading to problems with hunger and satiety. A key cause of this is leptin resistance, in which the body becomes less sensitive to leptin. This means that even after eating enough — with plenty of leptin circulating in the blood — the brain doesn't receive the signal properly, and you don't feel full.

Causes of leptin resistance

• Overeating: Regularly overeating can teach your body to ignore feelings of fullness.
• Excess weight: More fat cells produce more leptin, but with excess weight the brain can become insensitive to it.
• Insulin resistance: This further disrupts the action of leptin and commonly occurs alongside excess weight.
• Chronic stress and emotional difficulties: These can also contribute to a disrupted sense of satiety.

The consequences of disrupted satiety

When the ghrelin-leptin balance is disrupted, a vicious cycle develops. Satiety signals stop working properly, causing you to eat more often and in larger quantities than necessary — leading to excess weight and insulin resistance. This worsens leptin resistance, increasing hunger further and making it increasingly difficult to keep appetite in check.

Conclusion

Understanding how ghrelin and leptin work can help you better manage hunger and satiety. By paying attention to how and what you eat, and by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can restore balance and develop healthier eating habits. Start putting these principles into practice today and enjoy a more balanced and healthier life!