Ghrelin is the “hunger hormone” that rises before your usual meal times — not because you’re running low on energy, but because your body expects food. Research by Cummings showed ghrelin peaks preprandially, before meals — its own paper putting it as suggesting a role in meal initiation. Over longer spans ghrelin does track energy state, rising with weight loss. Crucially, hunger comes in waves: ghrelin spikes, peaks, then recedes on its own within about two hours. If you wait out the wave, it passes. You can also retrain ghrelin by changing eating patterns.
This companion covers ghrelin’s role, the learned schedule, hunger waves, the circadian connection, and practical implications. (4 min read)
Written by AI, directed and approved by me. How this is made →