READY TO RUMBLE
Suddenly, a gurgling sink sound reverberates around the room – and it’s coming from your stomach. Here’s what’s going on in your body when hunger strikes.
1
HOR-MOANING
Mechanically speaking, feeling hungry comes down to hormones.“One in the stomach, called ghrelin, stimulates hunger and, an hour or so after you last ate, your
levels slowly creep up and act on the appetite sensors in your brain to encourage you to eat food,” says endocrinologist
Professor Kevin Murphy.
2
GROWL NEXT DOOR
As well as your friendly neighbourhood hormones, neural signals from the gut jump in to let your brain know what’s what.“When the gut starts to empty and things begin to move down, you reduce the stretch in the stomach and the small intestine, so that takes the fullness signal away,” says Professor Murphy. Cue the rumbles, which are just pockets of gas being squeezed as the intestines contract to sweep
up any leftovers.
3
DISCOMFORT ZONE
Let’s not give your gut all the glory – it’s your brain that’s responsible for getting you to the fridge.“There’s an area in the brain called the hypothalamus [which links the endocrine and nervous systems], the neurons of which are involved in food intake,” explains Professor Murphy. “The activation of a molecule called AgRP [Agouti-related protein] provokes a sense of uneasiness, prompting you to seek out food.That’s why hunger feels so unpleasant; it’s
your body telling you to rectify the situation.”
4
HANGRY
Picking fights over the last cookie in the jar? The reason could be in your blood.“Hanger [being irritable as a result of hunger] is a low blood sugar issue – that’s what impairs mood,” says nutritional therapist Daniel O’Shaughnessy.“Humans have evolved to avoid starvation at all costs. So, if your blood sugar is running low after not eating for a while, that’s going to release stress hormones and cause more aggressive feelings to come out.” So next time irrational anger strikes,
maybe consider if it’s actually hunger at work.
5
LEVEL UP
Hunger levels can vary significantly from person to person.“Small differences in hundreds of genes accumulate to make people more or less prone to hunger,” says Professor Murphy. While that goes some way to explaining why others can seemingly be satisfied with a lunch that would only do you for a light snack, it’s worth noting that environmental factors also play a role.“Sleep deprivation can increase your levels of ghrelin, which stimulates your appetite,” adds O’Shaughnessy. Nabbing early nights and prioritising eating a satisfying lunch when you feel the signals strike can help keep you in control of your hormones.