Hunger sensation: How can we control it and which hormone helps us get rid of it. Expert advice
Weight loss medications prescribed by endocrinologists or diabetologists are successful worldwide. They act similarly to a hormone produced in the intestines and reduce the feeling of hunger.
There is also an endovascular intervention that manages the feeling of hunger generated by another stomach hormone.
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Inside the intestines, there is a hormone that helps the pancreas produce insulin. The same hormone signals the brain to decrease the sensation of hunger. Dr. Antonela Burlacu, an endocrinologist, provides us with an explanation.
Dr. Antonela Burlacu, primary care endocrinologist: "It reduces the sensation of hunger, increasing the feeling of satiety. And plays a role in delaying stomach emptying so that the feeling of satiety occurs more quickly".
Medications developed for diabetes treatment and used in obesity treatment mimic the action of this hormone produced in the digestive tube.
Dr. Antonela Burlacu, primary care endocrinologist: "It functions centrally, reducing appetite, enhancing satiety, and prolonging gastric emptying. For obesity, this is the difference; it acts centrally. One experiences reduced hunger, quicker satiety, and a weight loss ranging from a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 10 kg within 2-3 months".
Before starting the treatment, the doctor conducts routine analyses. As well as an ultrasound to assess the function and structure of the pancreas.
And evaluates the function and structure of the thyroid gland.
It is advisable to repeat these analyses and pancreatic and thyroid ultrasounds every 6 months. That is because the hormone stimulates the growth of certain cells in the thyroid.
Dr. Antonela Burlacu, primary care endocrinologist: "I don't know how long it can be taken because you can't take it your whole life. Some recommend it cautiously, meaning you do it for a year, half a year after stopping, and if you start gaining weight again, as that's nature, you start again".
There is no information on the long-term use of these medications for obesity.
Weight loss occurs as the feeling of hunger diminishes, leading to reduced food intake.
Moreover, when it comes to your favorite cake, for instance, you should eat only a small slice. A comparable outcome is achieved through an intervention conducted within blood vessels.
We look at another hormone called ghrelin, produced by the stomach. Ghrelin signals hunger.
The stomach is irrigated by the left gastric artery. Reduced blood supply would decrease the production of the hunger hormone.
Thus, an endovascular intervention was developed, where inert particles are placed in the vessel that supplies the stomach. Dr. Florin Bloj explains the principle.
Dr. Florin Bloj, interventional radiology specialist: "The objective is to diminish the flow at the stomach fundus level, the area responsible for generating the hunger hormone, ghrelin, by injecting particles and limiting the flow at this level. This reduces ghrelin production, subsequently decreasing the sensation of hunger. It's important to note that this procedure cannot be equated with a surgical intervention; it doesn't result in the loss of tens of kilograms, but rather about a 10% reduction in body weight".
Over the course of 9-12 months, the feeling of hunger diminishes. This means time for adjusting to three small meals per day.
Get your brain accustomed to a dietary schedule that, when maintained after the intervention's effect wears off, helps you maintain a normal weight.
