Ways to regulate appetite

Appetite - the desire to eat, feeling right to the heart (joke) stomach hunger is selected. Appetite exists in all higher forms of life and serves to regulate adequate energy intake to maintain metabolism. In the course of appetite, the close interaction between the digestive tract, adipose tissue and the brain is regulated. What are the mechanisms of regulation of appetite, how to regulate appetite in practice?

See also: Emotional overeating: what is it and how to deal with it?

Regulation of appetite mechanism

The regulation of appetite has been the subject of numerous studies in the last decades of the last century. The shifts occurred in 1994, when the properties of the hormone leptin were discovered, to provide a negative feedback between the taste of foods and the desire to eat them. Later studies have shown that appetite regulation is an extremely complex process, involving the interaction of the gastrointestinal tract, many hormones, and the functions of the central and autonomic nervous system.

Reducing the desire to eat is called anorexia, while polyphagia (or hyperphagia) is the result of increased appetite, food addiction. Dysregulation of appetite contributes to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, cachexia, overeating and gluttony.

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Appetite control systems

The hypothalamus is a part of the brain that is the main regulatory organ of human appetite. There are neurons that regulate appetite, they play a vital role in these processes.

The predictions of these neurons contribute to the realization of hunger, and the somatic processes of the body are controlled by the hypothalamus, they include a call signal (the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system comes into play), the thyroid gland is stimulated (thyroxin regulates the metabolic rate), the hypothalamic-pituitary is also involved in the appetite regulation mechanism -adrenal axis and a large number of other mechanisms. The processes of appetite also regulate opioid receptors associated with sensations from eating those or other products.

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Appetite sensors

The hypothalamus responds with sensitivity to external stimuli, mainly through a number of hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, PYY 3-36, orexin and cholecystokinin. They are produced by the digestive tract and adipose tissue. There are systemic mediators, such as tumor necrosis factor Alpha (TNFα), interleukins 1 and 6, and corticotropin-releasing hormones (CRH), which have a negative effect on appetite. This mechanism explains why sick people often eat less than healthy ones.

In addition, biological clocks (which are regulated by the hypothalamus) stimulate hunger. Processes from other brain loci, such as from the limbic system and the cerebral cortex, are projected onto the hypothalamus and can change appetite. This explains why in a state of clinical depression and stress, energy consumption can change quite significantly.

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The role of appetite for diseases

Limited or excessive appetite is not always a pathology. Abnormal appetite can be defined as unhealthy eating habits, causing malnutrition and inverse conditions relating to processes such as obesity and related problems.

Both genetic and environmental factors can regulate appetite, and deviations to both sides can lead to incorrect appetite. Poor appetite (anorexia) can have many causes, but can result from physical discomfort (infectious, autoimmune or malignant diseases) or psychological factors (stress, mental disorders).

Similarly, hyperphagia (over-saturation factor) may be due to hormonal imbalances, or caused by mental disorders (eg, depression), and so on. Dyspepsia, also known as indigestion, can also affect the appetite - one of its symptoms - to feel "too full" soon after the start of a meal.

Dysregulation of appetite underlies anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and gluttony. In addition, reducing the body's response to satiety can contribute to the development of obesity.

Various hereditary forms of obesity have been found due to defects in the hypothalamic signaling (for example, leptin receptors and MC-4 receptors.

Pharmacology for the regulation of appetite

Appetite control mechanisms are a potential target for weight loss drugs. These are anorectic drugs, for example, such as fenfluramine. A recent addition, sibutramine, is able to increase serotonin and norepinephrine, direct the work of the Central Nervous System, but these drugs should be monitored as they can cause adverse cardiovascular risks.

Similarly, appropriate receptor antagonists should be selected for appetite suppression when it is associated with a worsening of depression and an increased risk of suicide. Recent reports of a recombinant substance PYY 3-36 suggest that this agent may contribute to weight loss by suppressing appetite.

Given the scale of the obesity epidemic in the modern world, and the fact that it is growing rapidly in some disadvantaged countries, scientists are developing appetite suppressants that might not be dangerous to suppress other bodily functions. That is - do not affect the psyche and well-being. Diet in itself is an ineffective remedy for most obese adults, and even for obese people who have already been able to successfully lose weight with a diet, because their weight soon returns.

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