Is your “eatrogen” out of control?

I recently received a very encouraging email from a reader. He told me that he was experiencing symptoms attributed to his hormones. His complaints included fatigue, mood swings, low libido, insomnia, and weight gain. The email started out like many emails I receive, describing symptoms and various hormone tests that had been done. But a single “typo” caught my eye:

“My eatrogen skyrocketed and I gained almost 20 pounds in two months.”

This reader certainly meant “estrogen,” but the resulting new word, eatrogen, created from this typo, was probably more accurate. No, eatrogen is not an actual hormone, but it certainly makes me think of how the word “eat” was used in a hormonal context. “Eat-rogen” represents the hunger hormones that stimulate appetite, cravings and make you want to eat.

What are hunger hormones?

Many hormones affect appetite, cravings, metabolism, and weight. Traditional hormones like thyroid hormone, insulin, cortisol, testosterone, and estrogen have been well documented to have an effect on your weight. If a hormone becomes unbalanced, either too high, too low, or just not working properly, weight gain can occur. But a whole host of recently discovered hunger hormones have perhaps even more potent effects on appetite and weight.

In 1994 the hormone leptin was discovered. Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells that regulates appetite centers in a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus. Leptin is responsible for long-term appetite and weight control and helps regulate the “set point” of body weight. Leptin deficiency was first identified in a strain of obese mice and was subsequently also found in obese humans. However, most obese humans do not have leptin deficiency but “leptin resistance”, which is a situation in which leptin does not work properly.

Ghrelin is a newly discovered hormone produced by the stomach that simulates appetite. When you’re hungry, it’s because ghrelin levels are rising. Eating a satisfying meal causes ghrelin (and appetite) to decrease. Another hormone produced by the intestines, peptide YY (or PYY for short) has the opposite effect of ghrelin. These two gut hormones, with their opposing effects, are responsible for short-term (hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute) appetite control.

Our hormone levels rise and fall according to many factors, the first of which is naturally the type of food we eat. To lose weight and keep it off permanently, hunger hormones must be controlled. It is not enough to eat healthy food. You have to eat in a way that your hunger hormones, your “eatrogen” work with you, not against you.

I can show you how to protect and control your hunger hormones. You don’t have to be a victim of out-of-control hormones. Based on my work with thousands of patients, I have developed an eating and lifestyle plan that will help you control your hunger hormones so you can easily and permanently lose weight without feeling hungry or craving. I encourage you to learn more by reading my books.