Hormones are the chemical messengers that give instructions to cells, tissues, and organs. When a message needs delivering to a certain body part, hormones are secreted into the bloodstreams where they are transported to the to the specific hormone’s receptors wherever they may be situated.

Researchers have recently discovered a hormone called ghrelin that kicks our appetite into top gear when out tummies are empty. Ghrelin prompts us to eat and it is believed that ghrelin is one of the means used by the body to protect is body fat stores when it senses a food shortage.

When hormones arrive at their destination they ‘fit’ into the receptor just like a key in a lock. A specific chain of events is triggered by the hormone as it does is job and in the case of hunger hormones an empty stomach leads you to feeling hungry and needing to eat. This is one of the roles that ghrelin plays as a messenger that moves directly from the stomach to the brain. [Read more…]