How Hormones Control Hunger, Eating & Satiety | Episode 16

This episode I discuss how hormones from our gut, liver, pancreas and brain control our appetite-- and the specific tools we can use to adjust those hormones in order to achieve specific goals. I explain the brain areas that control our desire to eat, and our desire to stop eating. I discuss a hormone we all can make that is regulated by UV-rays from sunlight that reduces our appetite. I also explain that when we eat controls our appetite and not the other way around (and how to leverage that fact). I describe how we are basically always eating until we reach a threshold level of fatty acids and amino acids in our gut and the factors that can alter that signaling and make us eat far more than we need. I also explain how insulin, glucose and glucagon work, why cholesterol is so key for ovary, adrenal, liver and testes function and how the ketogenic diet impacts glucose and thyroid levels. As always, I describe many tools: specific supplements, prescription compounds, specific types (and timing) of exercise to regulate hormones, specific timing and types of eating, ways to reduce sugar cravings by triggering release of the hormone CCK, and more.

Note: A future episode will cover Thyroid hormone. Also, I mis-spoke when explaining POMC neurons. I said “P-M-O-C” but should have said “POMC”. Apologies. The name I gave for what POMC is, however, was correct: "proopiomelanocortin".

Thank you to our sponsors:

InsideTracker - http://insidetracker.com/huberman

Athletic Greens - http://athleticgreens.com/huberman

Munk Pack - http://munkpack.com - Code: huberman

Our Patreon page:

https://www.patreon.com/andrewhuberman

Supplements from Thorne:

http://www.thorne.com/u/huberman

Social:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab

Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab

Links:

Dr. Lustig’s Lecture - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxyxcTZccsE

Paper In Cell Metabolism On Processed Food Effects - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:06:59 Hunger: Neural & Hormonal Control

00:08:32 Chewing & Hunger

00:11:05 Siamese Rats Reveal the Importance of Hormones In Hunger

00:13:08 Neurons That Powerfully Control Hunger by Releasing Specific Hormones

00:16:28 Anorexia & Extreme Overeating

00:16:57 Why Sunlight Suppresses Hunger: a-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (a -MSH)

00:20:03 Blue-blockers, Injecting a-MSH: Instant Tan & Priapism

00:22:30 Ghrelin: A Hormone That Determines When You Get Hungry, & That You Can Control

00:24:40 Meal Timing Determines Hunger, Not the Other Way Around

00:27:20 Satchin Panda, Circadian Eating & Intermittent(ish) Fasting

00:29:35 How To Rationally Adjust Meal Schedules: The 45min Per Day Rule

00:33:02 CCK (Cholecystokinin): A Hormone In Your Gut That Says “No Mas!”

00:34:55 Eating For Amino Acids, Fatty Acids & Sugar

00:39:05 L-Glutamine: Stimulates the Immune System & Reduces Sugar Cravings

00:43:42 Things To Avoid: Emulsifiers; Alter Gut Mucosa & Nutrient Sensing

00:49:32 “A Calorie Is NOT A Calorie” After All

00:52:36 Insulin & Glucose: Hyperglycemia, Euglycemia, & Hypogylcemia

00:56:12 The Order Your Eat Foods Matters: Managing Your Blood Glucose & Glucagon

01:02:40 Movement, Exercise & GLUT-4

01:04:50 Why Sugar Stimulates Your Appetite

01:05:40 Keeping Blood Sugar Stable With Specific Exercises, The Power Of Insulin Sensitivity

01:07:55 High-Intensity Exercise, Glycogen & Metabolism

01:10:28 Cholesterol, HDL, LDL & Glucose Management: Ovaries, Testes, Liver, Adrenals

01:15:00 Prescription Compounds That Reduce Blood Glucose: Metformin

01:16:45 Berberine: A Potent Glucose Buffer That Also Adjusts Cholesterol Levels, Canker Sores

01:22:05 Chromium, L-Carnitine, Ginseng, Caffeine, Magnesium, Stevia, Vitamin B3, & Zinc

01:24:34 Acids: Vinegar, Lemons & Limes & False Alkalinity

01:26:40 Ketogenic Diets (In Brief): Effects On Blood Glucose, Thyroid Hormones

01:28:10 Diabetes, Filtering Blood, Sweet Urine

01:31:08 The Power of GLP-1 & Yerba Mate For Controlling Appetite, Electrolytes

01:35:19 Summary & Notes About Thyroid, Estrogen, Testosterone

01:37:20 Zero Cost & Sponsor-Based Ways To Support The Huberman Lab Podcast

?

Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

[Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac https://www.blabacphoto.com/]