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Gut hormones and the regulation of energy homeostasis

Abstract

Food intake, energy expenditure and body adiposity are homeostatically regulated. Central and peripheral signals communicate information about the current state of energy balance to key brain regions, including the hypothalamus and brainstem. Hunger and satiety represent coordinated responses to these signals, which include neural and hormonal messages from the gut. In recent years our understanding of how neural and hormonal brain–gut signalling regulates energy homeostasis has advanced considerably. Gut hormones have various physiological functions that include specifically targeting the brain to regulate appetite. New research suggests that gut hormones can be used to specifically regulate energy homeostasis in humans, and offer a target for anti-obesity drugs.

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Figure 1: The pathways by which gut hormones regulate energy homeostasis.
Figure 2: A schematic diagram of the gastrointestinal tract illustrating where particular gut hormones are concentrated and their major putative functions.

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Acknowledgements

We thank W. S. Dhillo and N. M. Martin for their assistance with the preparation of this manuscript. K.G.M. is supported by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council New Investigator Award.

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Stephen Bloom is Chief Scientific Officer, a director and a shareholder of Thiakis.

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Murphy, K., Bloom, S. Gut hormones and the regulation of energy homeostasis. Nature 444, 854–859 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05484

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