Hormonal
Activation of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) reduces food intake primarily by decreasing meal size and duration, without affecting meal frequency or initiation.
The body's natural appetite control system uses specific brain receptors (MC4) to decide when to stop eating, rather than when to start. Drugs targeting this system aim to help you feel full sooner (smaller meals) rather than stopping the desire to eat entirely or making you feel sick. However, current drugs have side effects like sexual dysfunction, so they are not yet a simple fix for obesity.
MTII reduces food intake by affecting meal size and duration as shown by meal pattern analysis studies, whereas meal frequency and inter-meal interval were unaffected... These data suggest that the MC system is involved in meal termination rather than meal initiation.
Why this rating
Based on consistent findings across multiple rodent studies and human genetic mutation data, though human clinical application data is limited in this review.
Source
The MC4 receptor and control of appetite
Roger A.H. Adan et al. · British Journal of Pharmacology · 2006
DOI 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706929
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- Mutations in the human MC4 receptor are a common cause of severe childhood obesity, characterized by hyperphagia, increased linear growth, and hyperinsulinemia.Strong
- The efficacy of MC4 receptor agonists in reducing food intake is attenuated in subjects with high adiposity or those consuming high-fat diets, suggesting the system regulates a defended body fat set point.Good
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