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How Our Hormones Control Our Hunger, Eating & Satiety

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 the release of the hormone CCK, and more. Note: A future episode will cover Thyroid hormone. Also, I misspoke 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". #HubermanLab #Hunger #Hormones Thank you to our sponsors InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman AG1 (Athletic Greens): httpS://athleticgreens.com/huberman Supplements from Thorne: http://www.thorne.com/u/huberman Social: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Twitter - https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab Website - https://hubermanlab.com Join the Neural Network - https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Website: https://hubermanlab.com Join the Neural Network: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network 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

Andrew Hubermanhost
Apr 19, 20211h 39mWatch on YouTube ↗

CHAPTERS

  1. 0:00 – 19:40

    Introduction, Sponsors, and Overview of Hormone-Focused Series

    Huberman introduces the podcast, clarifies its educational mission, and thanks sponsors. He previews the month’s focus on hormones and frames this episode as an exploration of how hormones and the nervous system jointly control hunger and satiety, with an emphasis on actionable tools.

  2. 19:40 – 29:20

    Core Brain Circuits of Hunger: Hypothalamus and Insular Cortex

    He introduces key neural structures that regulate feeding: the hypothalamus—including the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH)—and the insular cortex. Lesion and stimulation data show distinct populations of neurons that either drive or inhibit feeding, while the insula links oral sensations and texture to enjoyment, aversion, and fullness.

  3. 29:20 – 35:00

    Parabiosis Experiments and Discovery of Blood-Borne Appetite Signals

    Huberman describes classic rat parabiosis experiments where two animals share a blood supply. Lesioning the hypothalamus of one rat made it obese while the attached partner became thin, demonstrating that circulating hormonal factors in blood influence hunger and body weight.

  4. 35:00 – 47:40

    Arcuate Nucleus, POMC Neurons, AgRP Neurons, and MSH

    He introduces the arcuate nucleus and its two opposing neuron populations: POMC neurons that release alpha‑MSH to reduce appetite, and AgRP neurons that strongly drive eating. He explains how manipulating these cells in animals causes extreme anorexia or hyperphagia and how light-driven MSH release factors into human appetite control.

  5. 47:40 – 1:03:40

    Ghrelin: The Hormonal Meal Clock and Shifting Hunger Patterns

    Ghrelin, secreted by the gut when glucose drops, stimulates hunger, food anticipation, and AgRP neurons. Huberman explains how ghrelin entrains to habitual mealtimes and how to deliberately shift meal timing by roughly 45 minutes per day to adopt different eating patterns or intermittent fasting.

  6. 1:03:40 – 1:17:50

    CCK, Omega‑3s, Glutamine, and Nutrient-Driven Satiety

    He examines cholecystokinin (CCK) as a powerful, gut-derived satiety signal triggered by specific fats and amino acids. Omega‑3s, CLA, and certain essential amino acids—particularly glutamine—help clamp appetite to healthy levels and can even curb sugar cravings, but pharmacological CCK usage proved problematic.

  7. 1:17:50 – 1:42:20

    Ultra-Processed Foods, Emulsifiers, and Why ‘A Calorie Isn’t a Calorie’

    Huberman details how emulsifiers in ultra-processed foods strip the gut’s mucosal lining and cause sensory neurons to retract, impairing detection of nutrients and CCK release. Combined with hidden sugars that spike glucose and dopamine, processed foods create a powerful push toward overeating, confirmed by controlled human studies.

  8. 1:42:20 – 2:03:40

    Insulin, Glucagon, and Practical Blood Sugar Management

    He reviews insulin’s role in shuttling glucose and glucagon’s role in mobilizing stored fuel, then translates this into concrete strategies for flattening glucose spikes. Food order, movement around meals, and understanding symptoms of hyper- vs hypoglycemia become key levers in day-to-day appetite control and health.

  9. 2:03:40 – 2:17:10

    Exercise Modalities, LDL/HDL, and Glucose–Lipid Interactions

    Huberman explains how different exercise types—zone 2 cardio versus HIIT/resistance training—shape insulin sensitivity, glucose stability, and fuel partitioning. He also briefly connects chronically high glucose to unfavorable LDL/HDL ratios, liver fat, and impaired delivery of cholesterol to hormone-producing tissues.

  10. 2:17:10 – 2:32:20

    Supplements, Metformin, Berberine, and Other Glucose-Modulating Compounds

    He surveys pharmacological and supplemental tools that affect blood glucose, emphasizing their potency and risks. Metformin and berberine stand out as strong AMPK activators that mimic fasting and lower glucose; he also notes milder effects from nutrients like chromium, magnesium, stevia, acidic drinks, and capsaicin.

  11. 2:32:20 – 2:48:00

    Ketogenic Diet, Historical Diabetes Detection, and Yerba Mate/GLP‑1

    Huberman briefly notes the ketogenic diet’s strong effect on lowering blood glucose but flags thyroid and reintroduction concerns for a future episode. He then recounts the history of diabetes detection via sweet-tasting urine and concludes with yerba mate’s unique benefits: caffeine plus GLP‑1 and leptin modulation that aids in appetite control during fasting.

  12. 2:48:00

    Recap, Limitations, and How to Support the Podcast

    He summarizes the main mechanisms and tools for managing hunger and satiety, notes important topics not covered (like thyroid hormones and sex hormone–glucose interactions), and reiterates the podcast’s educational mission. He closes with ways listeners can support the show via subscriptions, sponsors, Patreon, and affiliative supplement links.

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