Hormonal regulation of food intake: A brief review

Abstract

The purpose of a literature review was to explain about the hormonal regulation and neural control of thefood intake and body weight. The ingestion of macronutrients, the energy cost of food and hormonesynthesis that increases the activity of the orexygenic and anorexygenic neurons are determinative factors in the regulation of the food intake and body weight. The leptin, insulin and peptide YY increaseactivity of the anorexygenic neurons POMC/CART. However, the ghrelin increases activity of the orexygenicneurons NPY/AgRP. These hormones crossing the barrier hematoencephalic and binds to specificsreceptors in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. These mechanisms show to the complexity of the foodintake control and all the involved centers in the search for the energy homeostasis.