Research

Hormonal

Central administration of ghrelin directly regulates adipocyte metabolism by increasing glucose utilization and promoting fat storage in white adipose tissue (WAT) while decreasing thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT), independent of increased food intake.

This research suggests that the hormone ghrelin, when acting on the brain, directly tells fat cells to store more fat and burn less energy, independent of how much you eat. This implies that hormonal signals play a critical role in fat storage efficiency, potentially making weight management harder when ghrelin levels are chronically elevated, regardless of caloric intake.

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We demonstrate here that central ghrelin increased food intake and independently regulated adipocyte metabolism. In white adipocytes it favored glucose and triglyceride (TG) uptake, increased lipogenesis, and inhibited lipid oxidation. In brown adipocytes icv ghrelin decreased the expression of uncoupling proteins (UCPs), which usually contribute to energy dissipation.
C. Theander-Carrillo · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2006

Why this rating

High-quality animal study with rigorous controls (pair-feeding, knockout models) demonstrating dose-dependence and mechanism specificity.

Source

Ghrelin action in the brain controls adipocyte metabolism

C. Theander-Carrillo · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2006

DOI 10.1172/jci25811

mechanism_onlyCited 459×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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