During weight loss in obese adults, a decrease in metabolic rate is linked to increased hunger, and this connection remains even when accounting for changes in whether the body is burning more fat or...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
When obese adults lose weight, their bodies slow down metabolism more than expected, which triggers a rise in hunger hormones and a drop in fullness hormones — making them feel hungrier even if their body is burning more fat or carbs (10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.10.010). This hormonal shift drives...
Most probable mechanism
When someone loses weight, their body slows down its energy use more than expected, which triggers changes in hunger hormones like ghrelin, PYY, and GLP-1. These hormones signal the brain to increase hunger and reduce fullness, making the person want to eat more — and this happens whether the body is burning more fat or carbs, as shown by studies that adjusted for respiratory quotient changes (10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.10.010).
Caloric restriction during weight loss induces a disproportionate reduction in resting metabolic rate, signaling an energy deficit that activates homeostatic compensatory responses (10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.10.010).
This metabolic adaptation is associated with increased plasma ghrelin (an orexigenic hormone) and decreased plasma PYY and GLP-1 (anorexigenic hormones), directly linking reduced energy expenditure to altered gut hormone signaling (10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.10.010).
Altered gut hormone levels act on hypothalamic appetite centers to increase hunger signals and suppress satiety, driving increased subjective appetite ratings independent of changes in respiratory quotient (10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.10.010).
The association between metabolic adaptation and increased appetite persists after statistical adjustment for respiratory quotient, indicating that shifts in fuel utilization (fat vs. carbohydrate oxidation) do not explain the link (10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.10.010).
Evidence from Studies
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