Hormones and feed intake

Abstract

During the several decades that hormones have been considered for roles in the control of feeding, certain ones have gained special attention, although the role assigned to any one hormone has varied from time to time. Three classes of hormones have been considered in this review: gastrointestinal, brain, and pancreatic. Of these classes, two have obtained the most compelling evidence for a physiological role in the control of feeding. CCK, an intestinal and brain hormone, appears to be involved in satiety. Glucagon of pancreatic origin appears also to play an important role in satiety. These hormones, when sequestered by a specific antibody, cause a delay in satiety and thus increase food intake. Insulin, another pancreatic hormone, has been considered for several roles in the control of feeding. Recently, attention has been given to the possibility that insulin of the CSF provides an integrated link between the metabolic state of the adipose tissue and the brain structures concerned with the control of feeding. Thus, insulin may be a primary hormone involved in the maintenance of energy balance or of body-weight. Finally, brain opiate peptides, e.g. dynorphin, are very likely involved in the transmission of information concerned with the interaction of feeding and maintenance of energy balance. Clearly, hormones play primary roles in the control of feeding behaviour and the regulation of energy balance, but much remains to be done to establish their specific actions or components of the associated physiological systems.