Research
Hormonal
Ghrelin is the only known orexigenic peptide hormone, stimulating food intake by activating NPY/AgRP neurons in the arcuate nucleus and inhibiting POMC neurons, with levels inversely correlated with body fat and meal status.
Ghrelin is your body's natural 'hunger hormone' released by the stomach when empty. Its levels drop after eating, signaling satiety. In obesity, baseline ghrelin levels are often lower, but sensitivity may be altered. Understanding this helps recognize that hunger is a physiological signal, not just a habit.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
being ghrelin the only orexigenic molecule known, whereas the plethora of other factors are inhibitors of appetite... Ghrelin is a peptide secreted from the stomach and, in contrast to other gut hormones, plasma levels decrease after a meal and potently stimulate food intake.
Why this rating
The paper is a comprehensive review citing multiple primary studies on ghrelin's effects in humans and animals.
Source
Peptides and Food Intake
Carmen Sobrino Crespo et al. · Frontiers in Endocrinology · 2014
DOI 10.3389/fendo.2014.00058
narrative_reviewCited 247×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Anorexigenic gut hormones (GLP-1, PYY, CCK, PP, OXM) are released post-prandially in proportion to caloric intake and inhibit appetite via central (ARC) and peripheral (vagal) pathways.Good
- Leptin, secreted by adipose tissue, signals long-term energy stores to the brain, inhibiting NPY/AgRP neurons and activating POMC neurons to reduce food intake, with levels proportional to body fat.Good
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