Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Why Eating is Fun: Thank the Hormone Ghrelin


The Neurobiology Behind Why Eating Feels So Good

ScienceDaily (2006-10-19) -- The need to eat is triggered by the hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin is produced in the gut and triggers the brain to promote eating, but it remains to be determined precisely how ghrelin affects different parts of the brain. A new study shows that in mice and rats, ghrelin triggers the same neurons as delicious food, sexual experience, and many recreational drugs; that is, neurons that provide the sensation of pleasure and the expectation of reward. ... > read full article

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