Posted on by Paula Gallagher
Do you find yourself overeating, past the point where you have had enough? There is an explanation for this. Your brain is responsible for sending psychological signals on what you want to eat and how you perceive the food you have eaten.
There is also a physiological component to your brain’s behavior relative to food. Your body requires energy to function. The brain sends signals that your internal energy is declining and it is time to refuel. It also indicates when your body has had enough fuel. The messages are sent to your brain through hormones, one of which is called leptin. Leptin is a hormone produced by your fat cells that signals the brain to stop eating and reduces appetite. The other hunger hormone is ghrelin, which increases appetite and tells the brain when it is time to eat. If either of these two hormones is not functioning correctly, it could lead to overeating.
Leptin is produced in your body’s fat cells and is responsible for telling the brain how much energy you have consumed through your foods, how much to use now, and how much will be stored in fat cells for later use. This hormone also tells your body how many fat cells you should carry to prevent starvation and when you have had enough food and reached the point of satiety (feeling of fullness) and can stop eating. Your stomach is designed to stretch and expand to accommodate the foods you have eaten. As your stomach expands to accommodate food, neurons in your stomach are engaged and send signals to your brain that you have reached fullness.
The hormone ghrelin is produced in the stomach and goes to work when your stomach is empty. When your body senses an empty stomach, ghrelin is created, which then sends a signal to your brain that it is time to refuel. This hormone's primary function is to increase your appetite. It also affects your sleep and wake cycle, reward-seeking behavior, taste sensation, and how you metabolize carbohydrates. The level of this hormone increases just before you eat and then typically decreases after you have eaten. The more ghrelin that is produced, the hungrier you may feel.
Unfortunately, there are factors that can inhibit the proper function and roles of leptin and ghrelin. If you are not adequately feeding the body due to dieting, skipping meals or providing too few calories for your output of energy, you are inhibiting the proper function of these two hunger hormones. If you ignore your body’s signal to eat (ghrelin), the body will continue to produce more ghrelin, and the more ghrelin your body produces, the more likely you are to overeat and have increased cravings. The effects of ignoring the body’s request for food also forces a change in the other hunger hormone, leptin.
Leptin, the hormone that tells you when you are full, is diminished because you are ignoring the need-to-eat hormone and your hungry signals will continue. The reduction in the amount of leptin hormones produced subsequently has a negative effect on your metabolic rate, or metabolism. By decreasing your metabolism, you alter how your body burns food and fat for energy. Leptin may also send a negative message to your brain that you are starving and holds onto the cells that contain energy (fat cells), making it even more challenging to maintain a healthy weight and healthy eating habits.
So can you manage hunger hormones naturally?
Steps to Help Manage Your Hunger
1. Reduce Inflammation in the Gut
Regardless of which hormone is at work or malfunctioning, reducing inflammation is important because inflammation in the gut can affect how fat cells respond, and also how ghrelin is managed. Omega 3 Fatty acids can help increase the production of leptin by lowering inflammation that interferes with production.
2. Balance Sugar Levels
Supporting how your body processes insulin for the break down of carbohydrates and sugars can also support how the body processes ghrelin. By reducing sugar cravings, you may be able to regulate the overproduction of the hunger-producing hormones. Supplements may help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Berberine, in particular, has shown significant results in stabilizing blood sugar levels and regulating metabolism.
3. Add Protein
If you find you are not able to achieve a sense of fullness, consider adding protein to each of your meals or between meals to help keep your stomach feeling fuller. If your stomach feels content and fed, the hunger hormone ghrelin is less likely to trigger the need for you to consume more food.
4. Add Fiber
Increase your soluble fiber through foods (beans, vegetables, legumes) and perhaps supplement, if needed. Fiber can increase intestinal bulk, take up room in the stomach, and activate leptin, which suppresses the need to eat more.
5. Get a Good Night's Sleep
Lack of sleep decreases leptin levels and increases your ghrelin levels, which can improve nighttime hunger and food cravings. Follow these tips to help you sleep better.
Before taking any supplements, please consult with a health care practitioner to ensure proper usage.
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