Hunger

The stomach signals the brain to say when you’ve had enough to eat – although we ignore it at the holidays. MIT scientists have found a way to hijack that mechanism with a vibrating pill that can help reduce appetite and potentially treat obesity.

Researchers have discovered the mechanism by which a cluster of astrocytes, specialized brain cells, in the hypothalamus cause obesity in mice. Their findings could lead to a new obesity treatment that doesn't require a reduction in food intake.

One of the biggest struggles of weight loss is maintaining it long term, but scientists have identified the neural pathway in the brain that changes during dieting, and inhibiting this connection could make it much easier to keep the pounds at bay.

Scientists digging into the molecular details of the relationship between exercise and weight loss have made a significant discovery, pinpointing a modified amino acid that spikes in the blood following intense workouts and suppresses appetite.

Compelling new research, studying zebrafish fights, is suggesting the fight-or-flight mechanism is modulated by a hormone that regulates appetite. And when the fish are starving this mechanism is triggered, helping them fight significantly longer.

Ghrelin, the “hunger hormone”, has been associated with brain lesions thought to play a role in cognitive decline seen in Alzheimer's.

New research suggests malnutrition in children can be better treated by therapeutic foods designed to boost and repair the gut microbiome. A clinical trial targeting malnourished children in Bangladesh revealed a newly developed therapeutic food is superior to conventional supplements.

New research from neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania has found that chronic pain can be suppressed by feelings of hunger. This unique evolutionary quirk, controlled by a very small population of brain cells, could offer researchers novel new targets for pain treatments.

​A new study has uncovered the mechanism by which our gut communicates with the brain to regulate the sensation of hunger. The researchers also discovered a novel combination of hormones that can mimic the signal sent to our brain telling it that enough food has been consumed.

Many will have felt encouraged by an initial loss of weight when starting a diet before hitting a disheartening plateau or even regaining weight.​ A new study suggests our brains could be to blame, by directing our bodies to stop burning fat in response to a reduction in caloric intake.​

Adding to that burgeoning body of knowledge of nutrient-specific hunger, researchers have figured out how protein cravings work in the brains of fruit flies. What's more, they were able to switch them on and off.