Why do we fall into the vicious cycle of overeating?

Can I eat more? Am I full? Can I be still hungry?

New research has identified the reason for these confusing signals. It’s not just one hormone, but many that are involved in transmitting hunger signals from the stomach to the brain. To develop more targeted treatments, experts are trying to understand how these signalling centers work.

In recent years, Dr Judith Korner has made some exciting discoveries in the field of weight control. She is a professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and runs its Weight Control Center. In an interview with Medscape.com, she said, “We’re learning that the stomach is an endocrine system, and that when you eat it releases hormones which talk directly to your brain.” For example, for one person one pizza slice may satisfy them, while another may require half of the pizza. It’s not that people who eat only one slice of pizza are exercising willpower. They may be receiving signals–hormonal and gut signals–that other people do not receive.

According to Dr Korner, people are either obese or eat differently. She said, “We’re trying to determine where the signalling centers (i.e. when to be hungry or how much to eat to feel full) are off.”

The discovery of leptin, almost 20 years ago, was a major step forward in the fight against obesity. Leptin is produced in the fat tissues and communicates with the brain to tell it how much available fat there is.

Dr Korner believes that combination therapy, which includes medications targeting specific signals that regulate appetite as well as general medication to stimulate your system will be used in the future to combat obesity. If you consider diabetes or hypertension as examples, one medication is not always enough. It is possible to need a combination of a beta blocker, a diuretic, and an ACE inhibitor. “I believe this is the way we should approach obesity treatment,” says she, adding that an electrical device which paces the stomach may be on the market.