Abstract
Stress, a factor that affects appetite in our daily lives, enhances or suppresses appetite and changes palatability. However, so far, the mechanisms underlying the link between stress and eating have not been fully elucidated. Among the peripherally produced appetite-related peptides, ghrelin is the only orexigenic peptide, and abnormalities in the dynamics and reactivity of this peptide are involved in appetite abnormalities in various diseases and psychological states. This review presents an overview of the research results of studies evaluating the effects of various stresses on appetite. The first half of this review describes the relationship between appetite and stress, and the second half describes the relationship between the appetite-promoting peptide ghrelin and stress. The effects of sex differences and aging under stress on appetite are also described.
Highlights
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An important area of the brain activated by stress is the ventral tegmental area (VTA), or nucleus accumbens, and chronically given stressors act on the reward system to increase appetite or change the taste of food
This review focuses on the suppressive effect of stress on appetite: (1) Typical intrinsic factors that control appetite and stress; (2) ghrelin dysfunction; (3) the relationship between ghrelin reactivity and sex; and (4) the effects of aging and ghrelin
Summary
Stress may be defined as the physiological process of what is perceived to be harmful to an individual. Mild but acute stress and intense stress, for instance, enhance the release of adrenaline and glucocorticoids [6] and reduce appetite. The persistence of this condition affects energy balance and can result in nutritional problems. The clinical evaluation of stress-reducing appetite remains limited and the elucidation of the underlying mechanism using animals has not progressed much. Endocrinological approaches have been used to elucidate the potential role of dysfunction in several neuropsychiatric and appetite-related peptides. Such approaches are an important tool for determining the detailed mechanisms of anorexia and overeating. This review focuses on the suppressive effect of stress on appetite: (1) Typical intrinsic factors that control appetite and stress; (2) ghrelin dysfunction; (3) the relationship between ghrelin reactivity and sex; and (4) the effects of aging and ghrelin
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