Still Hungry?
Fattening revelations—and new mysteries—about the hunger hormone
By Janet Raloff
Too busy to cook, you drop by the neighborhood café and treat yourself to fried chicken with a side of macaroni and cheese. You wash it all down with a bottle of apple juice—to balance the high-fat entrees with something healthy. Although you’ve put away far more calories than usual, you still don’t feel really full, so you select a slice of chocolate torte from the dessert case.
Recent studies have begun pointing to a wide variety of factors, including body weight, food choices, and lack of sleep, by which we can unwittingly alter not only when we experience hunger but also what items appear appetizing and how much food it takes to trigger a feeling that we’ve had enough.