Hunger Hormone Fired Up By Fatty Foods, Not Empty Stomach

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

food intake in animal models and humans.

The ghrelin hormone is unique in that it requires acylation (the addition of a fatty acid) by a specific enzyme (ghrelin O-acyl transferase, or GOAT) for activation. Originally it was assumed that the fatty acids attached to ghrelin by GOAT were produced by the body during fasting.

The new data by Tsch?p and his team suggests that the fatty acids needed for ghrelin activation actually come directly from ingested dietary fats. In a departure from an earlier model that was upheld for nearly a decade, Tsch?p says, it appears that the ghrelin system is a lipid sensor in the stomach that informs the brain when calories are available - giving the green light to other calorie-consuming processes such as growing.

Tsch?p and his team used mouse models to test the effects of over expressing the GOAT enzyme, or "knocking it out." They found that, when exposed to a lipid-rich diet, mice without GOAT accumulated less fat than normal mice, while those with over-expressed GOAT accumulated more fat mass than normal mice.

"When exposed to certain fatty foods, mice with more GOAT gain more fat," says Tsch?p. "Mice without GOAT gain less fat since their brain does not receive the 'fats are here, store them' signal."

Tsch?p says that although his study can't be immediately extrapolated to humans, recent human studies at the University of Virginia measured (separately) active and inactive ghrelin concentrations. Those studies showed that during fasting, active ghrelin levels were flat, but during the presence of fat from foods, ghrelin levels peaked with meals as previously described. Tsch?p says these human studies support the new model for ghrelin.

"Our GOAT studies in mice offer an explanation of what could have been happening during the longer fasting periods in these human studies," Tsch?p adds. "Without dietary fats, ghrelin peaks remain inactive and don't affect storage of fat.

"We are particularly interested in how ghrelin may be involved in the rapid benefits of gastric bypass surgery," says Tsch?p. "This powerful obesity therapy frequently reduces appetite and improves metabolism before substantial weight loss occurs. Intriguingly, this procedure causes food to bypass the stomach and gut sections that contain GOAT/ghrelin cells, which, based on this newly described model, would prevent ghrelin activation."

Notes:

The study was supported by the Leibniz Graduate College and by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Co-authors include Paul Pfluger, PhD, and Ronald Jandacek, PhD, both from the University of Cincinnati; Henriette Kirchner, graduate student from the University of Cincinnati and the German Institute of Human Nutrition; Annette Sch?rmann, PhD, and Hans-Georg Joost, MD, PhD, both of the German Institute of Human Nutrition; and Traci Czyzyk, PhD, John Hale, PhD, Mark Heiman, PhD, Jesus Gutierrez, PhD, Patricia Solenberg, PhD, and Jill Willency, PhD, all from Lilly Research Laboratories.

Source:

Dama Kimmon

University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center

[MacMadame 81]

I don't know. I find things like nuts "stick" with me better than other foods. I'm not as hungry again later as I am with a lower fat, carb-based food. If fat activates grhelin, wouldn't I be hungrier after eating higher fat foods?

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I don't know. I find things like nuts "stick" with me better than other foods. I'm not as hungry again later as I am with a lower fat, carb-based food. If fat activates grhelin, wouldn't I be hungrier after eating higher fat foods?

I've never thought about how fats affect my hunger, just carbs. If I cut out carbs I have no desire to eat. Carbs are what triggers my desire to eat.

Yes, according to this article certain types of fat cause increased Ghrelin AND the storage of body fat.

Every study that comes out has different outcomes.

[Just Lora 1]

While googling GOAT, :confused1: I found the following article:

How Fatty Foods Curb Hunger

ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2008) — Fatty foods may not be the healthiest diet choice, but those rich in unsaturated fats – such as avocados, nuts and olive oil – have been found to play a pivotal role in sending this important message to your brain: stop eating, you're full.

A new study by UC Irvine pharmacologists shows that these fats trigger production of a compound in the small intestine that curbs hunger pangs. This discovery, the researchers say, points toward new approaches to treating obesity and other eating disorders.

Daniele Piomelli, the Louise Turner Arnold Chair in Neurosciences, and his colleagues have studied how a fat-derived compound called oleoylethanolamide regulates hunger and body weight. In their current work, which appears in the Oct. 8 issue of Cell Metabolism, they found that an unsaturated fatty acid called oleic acid stimulates production of OEA, which in turn decreases appetite.

Oleic acid is transformed into OEA by cells in the upper region of the small intestine. OEA then finds its way to nerve endings that carry the hunger-curbing message to the brain. There, it activates a brain circuit that increases feelings of fullness. In previous studies, Piomelli found that increasing OEA levels can reduce appetite, produce weight loss and lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Piomelli believes OEA could be used in a variety of drugs because it is a key to the way the body naturally handles fatty foods and regulates eating and body weight.

"We are excited to find that OEA activates cell receptors that already have been the focus of successful drug development," he said. "This gives us hope for a new class of anti-obesity drugs based on the savvy use of natural appetite-controlling mechanisms."

Nearly 30 percent of Americans are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has declared obesity an epidemic disease. The occurrence of obesity has risen by almost 60 percent since 1991, and it greatly increases the risk of premature death, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

Piomelli's study colleagues include Jin Fu and Giuseppe Astarita of UCI; Gary Schwartz and Xiaosong Li of Yeshiva University; and Silvana Gaetani, Patrizia Campolongo and Vincenzo Cuomo of the University of Rome. The National Institutes of Health, New York Obesity Research Center, the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and the Italian Ministry of Research supported the study.

Adapted from materials provided by University of California - Irvine, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Edited June 9, 2009 by Just Lora

[Malaika 50]

What the heck is GOAT? :confused1:

[Jaffa 5]

Or you can just cut out the grehlin completely....LOL

But it is interesting. I wish I would control my fat intake better, but I don't. I struggle to just balance my carbs and Protein, and to try and keep the Protein above the carbs.

I have noticed that Edammame, dry roasted, is an excellant way to do this, and you get full very easy.

[Malaika 50]

Or you can just cut out the grehlin completely....LOL

But it is interesting. I wish I would control my fat intake better, but I don't. I struggle to just balance my carbs and Protein, and to try and keep the Protein above the carbs.

I have noticed that Edammame, dry roasted, is an excellant way to do this, and you get full very easy.

I love edamame; however, there are pros/cons on too much soy intake ... I think if you just use common sense and don't over do on anything - basically eat in moderation, that anything is okay for you. My head spins at all the findings out there and especially when one contradicts the other, as they all seem to do.

Edamame is being served in several restaurants in Las Vegas. IMO it makes a great appetizers and takes the edge off any hunger so you tend to not overdo ... at least now before the sleeve that is how it works for me .. and it is very filling and stays with you for a long time, too.

[Jaffa 5]

I can eat a quarter cup of dry roasted and be full for 2 to 3 hours.

I like the fresh frozen stuff as well, but I do hate how it goods cold really, really quick, when I'm eating.

[attitudefree 2]

what is edamame? I have never heard of it

[Jaffa 5]

It is the sweet version of soy Beans. You can order the dry roasted stuff, and eat it like peanunts or the frozen stuff is usually in the health food freezer section.

It is a great way to get Protein in.

[Malaika 50]

It is the sweet version of soy Beans. You can order the dry roasted stuff, and eat it like peanunts or the frozen stuff is usually in the health food freezer section.

It is a great way to get Protein in.

I've never had the dry roasted version -- is it any good Steve?

Also you can buy it in like 8-pks at Sam's Club and costco. The frozen is very yummy; especially if you sprinkle just a tad of sea salt on it.

FYI -- if you buy the frozen - you DON'T eat the pod, only the "peas" that are inside it ... basically put the pod in your mouth and slowly pull it out and pods will pop out the end into your mouth.

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I've never had the dry roasted version -- is it any good Steve?

Also you can buy it in like 8-pks at Sam's Club and costco. The frozen is very yummy; especially if you sprinkle just a tad of sea salt on it.

FYI -- if you buy the frozen - you DON'T eat the pod, only the "peas" that are inside it ... basically put the pod in your mouth and slowly pull it out and pods will pop out the end into your mouth.

Hey Vegas... I just noticed, you leave tomorrow for Mexicali! Congrats for your date almost being here!

[Malaika 50]

Hey Vegas... I just noticed, you leave tomorrow for Mexicali! Congrats for your date almost being here!

Thanks WASa ... scared, nervous, happy, excited ... my stomach is a wreck ...what a combination of feelings ...

I like the alien avatar ... however, I really liked the nurse one you had on LBT ... thought it was very appropriate!

[Jaffa 5]

I bought some directly from www.seapointfarm.com

I like the Goji Blend the most.