Research

Hormonal

Therapeutic doses of glucocorticoids (methylprednisolone) significantly increase 24-hour energy expenditure and spontaneous food intake in healthy young men, primarily by suppressing sympathetic nervous system activity and stimulating appetite.

If you are taking therapeutic doses of glucocorticoids like methylprednisolone, expect a significant increase in hunger and energy expenditure. The drug suppresses your sympathetic nervous system, which reduces energy burning and increases appetite. To manage weight, you must actively monitor and control food intake, as your body's natural regulation will shift towards consuming more calories.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Our data suggest that glucocorticoids induce obesity mostly by increasing energy intake, an effect which may be related to the ability of glucocorticoids to directly or indirectly affect the central nervous system regulation of appetite.
P. Antonio Tataranni et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 1996

Why this rating

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover design in healthy subjects, though limited to short-term (4 days) and young males.

Source

Effects of glucocorticoids on energy metabolism and food intake in humans

P. Antonio Tataranni et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 1996

DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.1996.271.2.e317

rct · n=20Cited 412×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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