Research

Hormonal

Weight loss in obese humans significantly increases fasting plasma ghrelin levels, reversing the suppression typically seen in obesity.

When you lose weight, your body naturally produces more ghrelin, the 'hunger hormone.' This study confirms that this increase is a direct result of losing weight and correlates with how much weight you lose. Expect increased hunger as a biological response to your new, lower body weight, not as a personal failing.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Plasma ghrelin concentrations increased by 12% following weight loss (P < 0.01), and the increase in ghrelin levels was positively correlated with the extent of weight loss (r = 0.68, P < 0.05).
Troels Krarup Hansen et al. · Clinical Endocrinology · 2002

Why this rating

Small sample size (n=8) limits generalizability, but the statistical significance is clear within the cohort.

Source

Weight loss increases circulating levels of ghrelin in human obesity

Troels Krarup Hansen et al. · Clinical Endocrinology · 2002

DOI 10.1046/j.0300-0664.2001.01456.x

cohort · n=8Cited 496×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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