what happens when u get hungry

**duaa (dodopuma)** Tue Apr 12, 2011 2:56 pm

Our bodies and our brains need energy. We need energy to walk and talk and think. And to answer questions. The nutrients we use for energy are mainly fat and glucose, or sugar.
We have little detectors in our brains--and probably in other organs of our bodies--that keep track of our energy supply. When the energy levels get low, these little detectors sound the alarm: ENERGY ALERT!!

Sometimes, this energy alert goes off at the same time your stomach is empty. When that happens, your stomach growls. But if you haven't been eating the things that your body needs, then your stomach doesn't need to be empty for you to feel hungry.

The way your brain sounds this alert is with chemicals called NEUROTRANSMITTERS. Neurotransmitters are like little messengers that your brain sends out whenever it needs something or wants your body to do something. "Get moving, I'm HUNGRY!" it says, and off they go to tell the rest of your body to go find food.
You can probably guess that a lot of drug companies would like to know how to control these neurotransmitters in order to turn appetite off.
Your body has its own ways to turn off hunger. (And I suppose some of us could learn how to listen to it better.) Detectors--or RECEPTORS--in your stomach and gut look for different nutrients. When they figure you've had enough, the receptors send signals to the brain to shut off the energy alert.
We also eat for reasons other than energy, says Professor Ritter. One is we just like the way a food tastes. We know that a brownie is going to give us pleasure, so we hunger for it even though we really do not need the energy.
Another example of "need-free hunger" is eating to socialize or to have fun with other people. Also, we get curious. What DOES that escargot taste like? (Escargots are SNAILS, Melissa. And they're really pretty good. But then again, just about anything is good with enough garlic and butter.)
But back to the brain for a little bit. Professor Ritter says that the brain needs a LOT of energy. So it has its own special set of signals. Even when the rest of the body is satisfied, the brain might need more energy. In fact, we may overeat at times because our brains still need more energy..