Human Hormones

Having hunger pangs could be one of the most frustrating and agonising situations to be in, especially around the lunchtime period of the day. Knowing that you have some work to do and that lunch is still a long time away is one of the most disorientating things for some people. People can get headaches, can become irritable, and can even fight with other people, simply due to the fact that they feel hungry. However, new research has shown that that there may be another source for hunger pangs, one that is actually quite surprising for those who thought a hungry stomach was a straightforward matter.

Ghrelin is the hormone that has come to be known over the years as ‘the hunger hormone’. This is because this particular hormone has been found in the human body in high concentrations just before meals are about to be eaten. Traditionally, this was then believed to be a key indicator that the human body was ‘hungry’. The way scientists have tested this theory in the past was simple. All they did was introduce higher amounts of ghrelin into a person and watch ‘how hungry’ they became. The subsequent hunger pangs exhibited proved the theory that ghrelin was a hormone directly linked to the human need for nutrition.

What makes the ghrelin hormone totally unique is that it requires acylation to activate it. This process happens when a fatty acid is brought into the equation. A special enzyme ‘brings’ fatty acids to the hormone. That enzyme is called ghrelin o-acyl transferase. This rather long name has been handily shortened to the acronym GOAT.

The old thinking was that the fatty acids brought by GOAT came from the stomach. Whenever people were not eating and it was beginning to take its toll, this is when the fatty acids were created. This model made the whole process of human hunger an internal matter.

However, the new research throws up an entirely different model. The researchers at The University of Cincinnati have found that the fatty acids that GOAT carries around the body do not come from within our bodies but instead come from fatty foods themselves. These foods are ingested, and then the acids that are left behind in our system are then picked up by GOAT, and carried to the ghrelin hormone. Then we feel hungry, the hunger pangs become unbearable, and the cycle continues.

An obvious reading from this that was not stated by the researchers was the idea that if we ate foods that were less fatty or non-fatty then we would feel less hungry throughout the day. This does make sense if we follow the findings of the Cincinnati team logically.

Whatever the impact of this study is, it is exciting to know that our own body does not necessarily make us feel hungry all on its own. And it is a cautionary tale of sorts, for those who like indulging in the fatty foods we all know are not too healthy.