Hormonal
Gut-derived hormones (CCK, GLP-1, PYY) released by enteroendocrine cells in response to nutrient ingestion activate vagal afferents and hypothalamic centers to inhibit food intake and increase energy expenditure, thereby regulating energy homeostasis.
Your body has a sophisticated biological system that regulates hunger and energy using signals from your gut. When this system is disrupted (as seen in obesity), simple willpower often fails because the biological 'stop' signals (like GLP-1 and CCK) are not functioning correctly. Effective treatments often target these specific pathways (e.g., GLP-1 agonists) to restore the body's natural ability to regulate intake and expenditure.
Gut hormones are released by enteroendocrine cells (EECs), which initiate the majority of signalling and communication within the gut-brain axis in response to preabsorptive nutrients... These signals are subsequently conveyed to various regions of the brain, such as the brainstem and hypothalamus... initiating a series of reactions that result in both acute and chronic deviations in energy consumption and expenditure, thus maintaining metabolic homeostasis.
Why this rating
This is a review paper summarizing multiple animal and human studies; it establishes strong mechanistic consensus but lacks a single primary clinical trial.
Source
The Gut-Brain Axis, the Human Gut Microbiota and Their Integration in the Development of Obesity
Edward Bliss et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2018
DOI 10.3389/fphys.2018.00900
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