Research

Hormonal

Leptin decreases hypothalamic AMPK activity, whereas ghrelin increases it, indicating that these hormones regulate food intake by modulating AMPK.

Your body uses hormones like leptin (satiety) and ghrelin (hunger) to control the brain's energy sensor (AMPK). Leptin turns this sensor down to stop eating, while ghrelin turns it up to start eating. Understanding this balance helps explain why hormonal imbalances can disrupt hunger cues.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In vivo administration of leptin, which leads to a reduction in food intake, decreases hypothalamic AMPK activity. By contrast, injection of ghrelin in vivo, which increases food intake, stimulates AMPK activity in the hypothalamus.
Ulrika Andersson‐Hall et al. · Journal of Biological Chemistry · 2004

Why this rating

Robust in vivo animal data showing time-dependent changes in enzyme activity and phosphorylation states.

Source

AMP-activated Protein Kinase Plays a Role in the Control of Food Intake

Ulrika Andersson‐Hall et al. · Journal of Biological Chemistry · 2004

DOI 10.1074/jbc.c300557200

mechanism_onlyCited 750×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →