The Hormones That Make You Hungry & Full + How To Control Them

Many of us forget how brilliantly designed the human body is. And one of its most amazing abilities is the way it knows when it needs fuel and when it needs rest. Indeed, a very complex system of hormones and peptides (proteins) regulates when we feel hungry and need to eat and when we feel full and need to take a break to allow that food to be processed into energy or stored in the body. These hormones and peptides act on specific brain centers to affect sensations of hunger and appetite.

Leptin is another important hormone in this process, and it lets the brain know that you’ve filled up on your stores of fat and it’s time to stop eating. In addition, when you eat a meal—especially a carbohydrate-loaded one—insulin is released from the pancreas to stimulate glucose to be used by your body’s cells for energy or put into storage for future use in the form of glycogen. If the glycogen stores are full, insulin will stimulate the glucose to be stored in your fat cells instead.

Unfortunately, the Western lifestyle—loaded with sugar and processed foods and lacking in sleep and exercise—can cause this complex system to go a bit haywire, meaning the signals for being full and hungry don’t work. Instead, the system is driven by cravings for sweets or salt and the desire for the emotional relief food often provides. The result is obesity, insulin resistance, and a whole host of health problems. The good news is that there are ways to get these hormones and peptides back under control. The balance and communication of these hormones can go awry with poor lifestyle habits like these:

Eating too many simple carbs and foods high in fructose causes the pancreas to continuously release insulin. Over time, hyperinsulinemia can occur, which is where levels of insulin are up for so long that eventually the body’s cells become resistant to its effects—leading to insulin resistance. This means blood sugar levels rise and cells don’t get the energy they need, causing hunger, cravings, low energy, obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Studies have also shown1 that eating fructose can lead to higher ghrelin levels, leading to more hunger.

Overeating in general will cause the signaling system to go haywire so that the brain doesn’t know when you're actually hungry. Overeating leads to more fat stores, bigger fat cells, and high levels of leptin that are going ignored and leading to leptin resistance. Leptin resistance means2 that NPY is going uninhibited, leading to constant hunger and more overeating.

Lack of sleep causes leptin levels to fall and ghrelin levels to rise, and alpha-MSH to fall. Lack of sleep may lead to3 insulin resistance, diabetes, and inflammation.

Lack of exercise leads to poor sensitivity of muscle cells to insulin and less energy utilization, which leads to more fat storage. Stress leads to higher cortisol levels, which inhibits the effects of insulin, raising blood sugar levels, and can lead4 to more eating and weight gain. You might be able to guess, but this is all about inflammation. Poor food choices, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, and stress increase inflammation, which is associated5 with insulin and leptin resistance.

The key to controlling your hunger cycle is to improve6 insulin and leptin sensitivity by eating foods that act as fuel, reducing inflammation, and getting your body moving. You can start with the following:

Lower your intake of simple carbohydrates. This includes all forms of sugar, fructose, fruit, fruit juice, processed foods, and white flour products. High-fructose corn syrup has been linked to insulin resistance and is found in most processed foods. Stick to one to two pieces of fruit a day. When you do eat carbohydrates, eat them with a food group that will improve insulin sensitivity, such as pickled or fermented foods (pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi) that help good gut bacteria do their job, or use spices like cinnamon or turmeric that aid in metabolism.

To support your hunger cycle, focus on protein-rich foods from grass-fed meat, greens (which are loaded with magnesium), good fats like omega-3 fish oils, legumes, and fish. Stick to the Mediterranean diet, as it's great at reducing inflammation levels.

Up your exercise so that your cells, especially your muscles, are in need of fuel. This will stimulate7 better insulin sensitivity. And the higher the demand of your muscles, the more improved the sensitivity. Do aerobic as well as anaerobic exercises, including running, jogging, swimming, sprints, interval training, and weight training.

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