β What makes you feel full when you're eating?β
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β Image by Radiotherapy & Oncology is licensed under CC BY 4.0β |
The amount of food you eat physically stretches your stomach. This stretching triggers nerves around the stomach that signal to the brain you're nearing capacity.
What you're eating also impacts which appetite-controlling hormones get released.
β "FunctionsOfGLP-1" by Lthoms11 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. |
As these (and other) hormones travel to your brain, you receive a signal that you're getting full. It's important to note that there's a time delay of ~20-30 minutes for these hormones to build up and get detected by your brain. This is why it's common advice to eat slowly so you can detect you're full before you're unbutton-your-pants full.
Leptin, a hormone responsible for long-term energy regulation, is proportional to the amount of fat tissue you have β more fat you have, the higher your leptin levels.
Leptin works by modulating the effectiveness of short-term satiation hormones like CCK, GLP-1, and PYY. So, generally speaking, higher leptin levels should lead to faster feelings of fullness and decreased appetite.
β "Fatmouse" by Oak Ridge National Laboratory is part of the public domain. |
In many cases of obesity, leptin levels are elevated to such high levels that the body develops leptin resistance. This means that people with obesity often feel more hungry and less full because their brains have become less responsive to leptin's signals. However, exercise has been found to lower leptin levels and counteract leptin resistance, which helps the brain respond better to fullness signals.
The health of your gut microbiome also affects how you feel full. While there's no set definition for good gut health, it generally means that there's more "good" bacteria than "bad" in your system
Good bacteria like Lactobacillus, commonly found in fermented foods, help your gut release appetite-suppressing hormones like CCK, GLP-1, and PYY, which tell your brain that you're full. These bacteria also produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which help signal fullness.
If you have "bad" gut health, it results in a slower triggering of those hormones and fewer SCFAs. An imbalance of gut bacteria also affects the hunger hormone ghrelin, potentially making you feel less full and more hungry.
Eating a variety of flavors and textures makes it harder to feel full. This sensory-specific satiety phenomenon explains why you always seem to have room for dessert even after eating a full dinner.
β "Dessert Table" by Travis Wise is licensed under CC BY 2.0. |
The introduction of new flavors can reignite your appetite, making it easier to ignore fullness cues. There's a simple evolutionary reason for this. Humans need a wide range of nutrients, and different flavors often signal different nutrient profiles. By making "room" for new foods, your body increases the odds of meeting its nutritional needs.
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βSources for this week's newsletterβ
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"The Wooden Spoons Museum ... is a museum in CΓ’mpulung Moldovenesc, in the Suceava County, Romania. It is located in the house where the history professor Ion Θugui lived.... According to the World Record Academy, the museum holds the record for the largest collection of wooden spoons in the world. Estimates about the number of spoons collected by Θugui and displayed in the museum vary from 3,500to 4,200, 5,000 or over 6,000."
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