Hunger

Hunger is a very well known sensation for all of us, in one way or another we have experienced that need to consume food because of a discomfort or impulse that tells us that it is time to eat. Despite being a well-known phenomenon, few of us understand why it is produced and what are the internal factors that influence it.

In the following guide we will address the essential questions on this subject, so that we can learn more about the processes that occur in our organism.

What is hunger?

Hunger is a sensation that is produced by several factors in the body, among them the hormones ghrelin, leptin and insulin. The relationship of these hormones with the nerve signals emitted by the walls of our stomach alerts us to the levels of glucose present in our body. This means that our body sends us signals that the energy it has is low and that it needs new food to get more glucose.

Ghrelin is the hormone that is secreted when it detects that the stomach is empty, it sends signals through the bloodstream, which orders the stomach to increase the secretion of gastric acids. These signals, together with the decrease in blood glucose levels, are received by the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus reacts to these signals by producing the hormones Orexins A and B, which are hunger stimulators, and the biological function known as the neuropeptide function begins to take place, increasing the demand for food consumption.

Why does hunger disappear?

The disappearance of hunger is known as satiety, satiety is produced by the release of the hormone leptin. Leptin is transported through the bloodstream to the hypothalamus. It is responsible for inhibiting the sensation of appetite once it detects that energy reserves have increased.

Psychological hunger

As we have seen so far, hunger responds to a series of physical-biological factors that occur within our organism. However, there is a phenomenon known as psychological hunger or mental hunger. This type of hunger is especially related to the neurotransmitter known as dopamine. Dopamine produces a pleasurable sensation, so eating in a certain way releases dopamine in the same way that cigarettes or other drugs release dopamine.

Dopamine is strongly related to addictions, since it is a kind of reward that we tend to provoke in order to receive temporary pleasure. If our mood is low or we are emotionally unstable, it is very likely that we turn to food to feel good. It has been shown that foods such as refined carbohydrates or products high in sugar st