preview

Ghrelin's Role In Regulating Short-Term Feeding

Decent Essays

Ghrelin is the first hormone to be identified that increases feeding when administered peripherally. All of the other known orexigenic peptide transmitters such as neuropeptide Y, orexin, agoutirelated peptide (AGRP), melanocortin-concentrating hormone, and galanin stimulate feeding only when administered into the brain. The observations that circulating ghrelin levels surge suddenly before a meal and fall sharply after a meal, suggest that ghrelin serves as a signal for initiation of feeding. Interestingly, ghrelin increases the number but not the size of meals. However, ghrelin does not only play a role in regulating short-term feeding, but it also regulates body weight over the long-term (Cummings et al.,

Get Access