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 ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: April 19, 2021
Duration: 1h 39m
Channel: Huberman Lab
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

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

SPEAKERS

Andrew Huberman
host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Huberman Lab, featuring Andrew Huberman, How Our Hormones Control Our Hunger, Eating & Satiety explores hormones, Hunger, and Processed Foods: Rewiring Appetite Through Biology Andrew Huberman explains how hormones and brain circuits jointly control hunger, meal timing, and satiety, then turns that biology into practical tools. He covers key neural regions like the hypothalamus and insular cortex, and hormones such as ghrelin, CCK, melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), insulin, leptin, and GLP‑1. A major focus is how food composition, order of eating, light exposure, movement, and processing (especially emulsifiers and hidden sugars) dramatically alter appetite and body weight regulation. He also reviews blood sugar–modulating tools ranging from omega‑3s and glutamine to berberine, metformin, exercise, intermittent fasting, and yerba mate.

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