Older people don’t feel hungry after eating because their body doesn’t release the right hunger hormone the way younger people do.

Even though undernourished older women have more of the hunger hormone in their blood, they still don’t eat more—so high hunger signals don’t always make people eat.

Frail older people have less of the hunger hormone in their blood even before they eat, which might make them less interested in food.

Eating all your meals before 2 p.m. for a few days lowers the hunger hormone in your body, making you feel less hungry and more steady in your appetite.

Older women who aren't eating enough feel less hungry than younger women, even though their bodies are making more of the hunger hormone, which might explain why they eat less as they age.

Women with more of the hunger hormone ghrelin tend to burn fewer calories at rest and after eating, even when you account for their body size and insulin levels.