Saturday January 2, 11:00

Still hungry? Blame a hormone for it!

Blocking the natural secretion of ghrelin in the mice, makes the rodents eat less food rich in fat

The behavior of people who continue to eat even not being hunger could be explained by the action of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates the appetite, according to U.S. researchers.

Researchers at the University of Texas have discovered that this hormone would make mice continue to eat even if they are already fed. The scientists first examined whether mice prefer to stay satiated in a room where they had found food rich in fats or in another room, where they found the food bland.

They found that mice which had been administered ghrelin largely prefer to stay in the room where they were able to consume food rich in fat. Mice that did not received ghrelin showed no particular preference.

The researchers also discovered that blocking the natural secretion of ghrelin in these mice, makes the rodents spend less time near food rich in fat.

Finally, they sought to know how long the mice could move their heads inside a hole to eat foods rich in fat. They found that mice that received ghrelin had continued to eat much longer than others.

They conclude that this hormone could explain similar behaviors in humans.

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