Biochemical Mechanisms Involved in the Regulation of Appetite and Weight - Review

Abstract

The overwhelming increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in recent years represents one of the greatest threats to the health of the developed world and part of the developing world. Among current treatments, gastrointestinal (GI) surgery remains the only approach capable of achieving significant weight loss results with long-term sustainability. As the obesity prevalence approaches epidemic proportions, the necessity to unravel the mechanisms regulating appetite and weight gain have garnered significant attention. It is well known that physical activity and food intake regulation are the two most important factors involved in body weight control. To regulate food intake, the brain must alter appetite. With this realization has come increased effort to understand the intricate interplay between enzymes, gut hormones (such as ghrelin, leptin, cholecystokinin, neuropeptide Y, glucagon-like peptide 1 etc.) and the central nervous system, and their roles in food intake regulation through appetite modulation. This review discusses the biochemical mechanisms involved in the regulation of appetite and body weight, and explores a suite of well characterized and intensely investigated enzymes, anorexigenic and orexigenic gut hormones, and their appetite-regulating capabilities. Indeed, some enzymes (such as fructose–1,6–bisphosphase and protease inhibitor), gut hormones and brain are involved in the perturbation of appetite and body weight.