Research

Hormonal

Obesity is associated with altered nutrient sensing mechanisms in the gut, specifically region-dependent changes in the expression of amino acid and bitter taste receptors, which may contribute to inconsistent gut hormone fluctuations.

In obesity, the gut's ability to sense nutrients like proteins and fats changes depending on the location in the gut. This altered sensing contributes to why hormone signals (like GLP-1 or PYY) might not work as expected in obese individuals compared to lean ones.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
The expression of amino acid sensors and bitter taste receptors in the mucosa of the human stomach and small intestine is affected by obesity in a region-dependent manner [73,74].
Mona Farhadipour et al. · Nutrients · 2021

Why this rating

Based on in vitro and in vivo studies showing region-dependent changes, but clinical consistency varies.

Source

The Function of Gastrointestinal Hormones in Obesity—Implications for the Regulation of Energy Intake

Mona Farhadipour et al. · Nutrients · 2021

DOI 10.3390/nu13061839

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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