Ghrelin: This is how the hunger hormone affects you

Ghrelin is often referred to as the hunger hormone. In addition to your feeling of hunger, the hormone also influences other processes in your body. We will show you how ghrelin affects you and how you can counteract it.

Ghrelin is an appetite-stimulating metabolic hormone and is therefore also colloquially referred to as the “hot hunger hormone”. The name ghrelin is short for growth hormone release inducing. Translated into German, this means something like “growth hormone release initiating”.

Along with leptin and cortisol, it controls feelings of hunger and satiety and plays a key role in regulating calorie intake and body fat levels. In short: Ghrelin is largely responsible for your feeling of hunger.

But what is hunger anyway? Colloquially, we talk about “hunger” and “appetite” and often mean the same thing. You have to make a distinction here.

Here we explain the differences between hunger and appetite, the connection between ghrelin and leptin and how ghrelin works. We will also show you how you can control the hormone naturally.

Difference between hunger and appetite

hunger

The word “hunger” means: an innate bodily reflex so that your body survives. For this he regularly needs energy in the form of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. So that you do not run the risk of malnutrition, this reflex of the “feeling of hunger” sets in.

appetite

“Appetite”, on the other hand, has nothing to do with the physical hunger reflex. This is just “emotional hunger”. That means: instead of a physical stimulus, there is a psychological stimulus. This makes us want to eat food. You probably know this: You are already full, which means that your energy needs are covered, and yet you still have a craving for sweets.

Appetite can be influenced by various factors. MedLexi mentions the following points:

• Childhood Experiences: If sweets served you as a comfort or reward, an appetite may also arise in adulthood when you feel a need for comfort or a reward.
• Images, scents and pleasant sensations
• Cultural and family influences
• When food is a distraction when you have a problem.
• As an American study shows, appetite is also caused by too little exercise.

The effect of ghrelin on hunger

These are the mechanisms of action of ghrelin:

1. When your body has too little energy left, the hormone ghrelin is produced by the pancreas and stomach lining.
2. The cells that produce ghrelin are connected to your central nervous system and communicate with your brain.
3. As your energy levels drop, your ghrelin levels increase.
4. This sends a signal to your brain and triggers a feeling of hunger.

When you replenish your energy supply by eating food, the ghrelin level drops and the hormone leptin is formed in return. Leptin is the satiety hormone that makes you feel full.

Other effects of ghrelin on your body

In fact, ghrelin is not only produced when your body needs new energy. There are external influences that affect your ghrelin levels and thus create appetite, although you do not have to consume a basic energy requirement.

• Ghrelin and Appetite: The hormone makes your food look more appetizing before you eat it. This fits literally with the fact that your mouth is watering at the sight of the food.
• Ghrelin and Diet: Leptin and ghrelin work together like an interplay. Both hormones contribute to maintaining your body weight. When you start a diet, your ghrelin levels rise and make you feel hungry. The hormone tries to give your body the signal that the body should consume energy in order to gain weight again. Maintain a small calorie deficit so that your ghrelin concentration does not increase drastically. This is how you prevent food cravings. You can find recipe ideas for healthy weight loss in our article Lose weight without hunger.
• Ghrelin and obesity: In people who suffer from obesity, the regulation of the hormone ghrelin is disturbed. Spectrum of Science reports that despite eating, ghrelin levels remain the same in obese individuals. As a result, there is no real feeling of satiety.
• Ghrelin and sleep: The hormone leptin ensures that you do not feel hungry while you sleep. As soon as you wake up, ghrelin is released and you feel hungry. Less ghrelin means more rest and better sleep. Lack of sleep leads to increased ghrelin levels. This may be the reason why lack of sleep is often associated with unreasonable eating habits.

How can you lower your ghrelin levels?

• Don’t drastically limit your calorie intake: With a nutrient-rich, as unprocessed diet as possible with sufficient fiber and vegetable proteins you can control your ghrelin levels. This prevents the available energy in your body from sinking again too quickly. Because as soon as that happens and you feel hungry, the ghrelin also increases your appetite.
• Avoid strong weight fluctuations: Frequent weight loss leads to higher ghrelin levels.
• Eat enough protein: As a study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found, ghrelin levels drop more when you eat dietary protein than carbohydrates.
• Sleep sufficiently and well: The better you sleep, the more leptin is released. This means that you feel a better feeling of satiety the following day. Seven to eight hours a night is recommended for an adult.
• Just relax: Too much stress increases your ghrelin levels. Go for a walk in nature, meditate, practice yoga, do a vigorous HIIT workout or spoil yourself with wellness. All of this can help you to find your inner peace. You can read more tips on how to slow down your life and avoid stress in our article Reduce stress: 7 tips to slow down your life.

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• Balanced nutrition: 10 rules for everyday life
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