How does the brain regulate appetite? & bull; hello healthy

It's a natural instinct when we feel hungry and then look at food, surely our desire and appetite will increase instantly. The body performs various functions and responses when it gets external stimuli, including when hunger also does the body also do various things related to body functions to respond to this hunger. Then how can that hunger arise? There are those who feel hungry often but some are rarely hungry, what's the difference?

Appetite is controlled by the brain and hormones that work together to respond when appetite increases or decreases. The hunger signal will appear when the blood sugar in the body decreases as a result of being used as energy - that is, energy to carry out various activities. When the signal is well received by the brain, then soon the desire and desire to eat a food will appear. Not only does the brain control appetite, but various hormones also play a role in this, such as insulin, glucagon, ghrelin, and leptin.

The hypothalamus, the part of the brain that regulates appetite

The brain has its own settings to regulate energy in and out. To maintain this balance, the brain makes appetite rise or fall. When the energy produced is not sufficient to support the activities carried out, the brain, especially the hypothalamus, will automatically increase appetite to get more food that is entered and then converted into energy. The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that is responsible for carrying out various functions of the body by producing various hormones, including hormones that affect appetite. The hypothalamus is the key and center of the response to hunger and appetite, which releases various body functions in response to stimuli.

Melanocotrin

Melanocotrin 3 and 4 are receptors or message receivers on the hypothalamus. This substance regulates the portion that should be eaten to make the body full. Therefore, if there is interference or damage to these receptors, the portion regulation will be chaotic and cause a person to overeat and cause obesity.

This is evidenced in experiments conducted on obese mice. These mice are known to have low levels of melanocotrin 3 and melanocotrin 4 so that none of them regulates the portion of the meal that should be. In addition, melonocotrin also regulates the frequency of eating that should be done in a day, when there is a decrease in the amount of melanocotrin, the frequency of eating will be excessive and can cause weight gain.

Mesolimbic system

Mesolimbic is the part of the brain that regulates behavior, motivation, pleasure, and euphoria about something which then releases the hormone dopamine. When you eat or drink something that tastes very good, the mesolimbic system will receive signals of pleasure and happiness due to tasting that delicious food. Then, the mesolimbic system secretes a dopamine hormone which creates a feeling of happiness and pleasure.

The hormone leptin

Leptin is a hormone formed by fat cells, which is also responsible for regulating appetite and hunger in the body. In the hypothalamus, there are receptors or special substances that receive leptin signals which will activate if the leptin levels in the body are too high. Leptin will increase when the stomach is full and will then provide a signal to these receptors. Special receptors in the hypothalamus will receive a message that the stomach is full and reduce hunger and appetite. If the leptin hormone is too low in the body, eating can cause a person to overeat.

The hormone ghrelin

Unlike leptin, ghrelin is a hormone that makes you want to eat and increases hunger. Ghrelin is produced by the hypothalamus and will appear when several conditions occur such as the amount of sugar in the blood decreases, the stomach is empty or when you see delicious food or refreshing drinks. Signals from the sense of sight and smell will be sent directly to the brain, especially the hypothalamus. Then the hypothalamus will tell the body to release ghrelin.

When the amount of ghrelin increases in the body, the stomach will automatically empty then expand to accommodate the incoming food. In addition, ghrelin will also stimulate the salivary glands to produce more saliva, which helps the process of digesting food in the mouth.