"Hunger is regulated by the hypothalamus, which sits behind the bridge of the nose, at the base of the brain, monitoring your body's levels of blood sugar and the hormones leptin and ghrelin to check whether you're in an energy deficit."
"Fullness is regulated by the hindbrain, located roughly where your skull meets your neck: when your stomach stretches, the vagus nerve sends a signal to this area telling you that you're physically full."
"Reward, meanwhile, is regulated by a diffuse network of neurons that sit higher up in the brain, driven by dopamine and its search for pleasurable activities."
"All those parts of the brain speak to each other, which is essential for understanding our appetites and responses to food."
Hunger is a feeling that prompts the need to eat, while appetite encompasses hunger, fullness, and the reward associated with eating. The hypothalamus regulates hunger by monitoring blood sugar and hormones, while fullness is managed by the hindbrain through signals from the stomach. The reward system, driven by dopamine, influences the pleasure derived from eating. These brain regions communicate with each other, creating a complex interplay that governs our eating behaviors and responses to food.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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