Dr. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. is a Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. His lab focuses on neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance.
In this episode of Huberman Lab, Dr. Huberman discusses what drives hunger and satiety and the role of our brain, stomach, fat, and hormones in regulating hunger. He takes a deep dive into disordered eating and healthy relationships with food.
Host: Andrew Huberman (@hubermanlab)
Many people find it easier to not eat than regulate what they eat
Intermittent fasting: restricting eating to a particular phase of the 24-hour cycle (e.g., eating window 4 or 8 hours)
Water fasting: not eating for entire days – consuming water only or water with salt
It’s important to consume electrolytes or put a little salt in the water if fasting because neurons of the brain and body are dependent on adequate levels of sodium, potassium, magnesium
Findings don’t suggest any differences in insulin sensitivity and liver enzymes based on the time of the feeding window
Protein synthesis is greater early in the day versus late in the day
Ingesting protein and amino acids early in the day (between 5 am-10 am) may be beneficial to muscle growth and hypertrophy
Regardless of whether you are vegan, vegetarian, etc. – leucine is a critical amino acid
When the stomach is full it sends signals to the brain that are purely mechanical – not based on the nutritional profile of food
Neurons trigger eating (AgRP neuron) and cessation of eating (POMC)
Appetite is lower in summer months than winter months
Body fat and information from the gut signal the brain about different levels of nutrients and hunger
The more body fat we have, the more leptin released to suppress appetite
Leptin signaling is disrupted in people with obesity or bulimia
Gut sends signals about amino acids, proteins, sugars
From a purely evolutionarily perspective, it makes sense that we want to eat as often as we can, as much as we can, and as fast as we can because food was survival
Relationships to food are highly individualized
Definition of anorexia: ingesting fewer calories than burned
Traits of anorexia: loss of muscle mass, low blood pressure, low heart rate, hair growth on the face, loss of bone density, loss of menstruation, disrupted gut and immune symptoms, high cholesterol, hyper-focus on details within the environment, distortion of appearance versus reality
Anorexia is the most dangerous psychiatric disorder with the highest prevalence of death
Anorexia is a disruption of reward processes: anorexics have a reflexive hyper-awareness about the fat content of food and default towards low calorie, low-fat foods subconsciously and are rewarded by avoiding higher fat, higher-calorie foods that sustain weight
Anorexia typically starts in adolescence when youth find food aversive
Males do suffer from anorexia, but women struggle with anorexia about 10x more frequently 
Rates of anorexia in the past 10-20 years are not increasing – and have actually stayed similar as compared when they were first documented in the 1600s
Myths: eating disorders and disordered eating is a desire to be perfect and look like people in ads, anorexia is a disease of the rich and well off (points to biological disruption)
Anorexia can be difficult to study because it’s more about the absence of a behavior than a behavior
Habits and behaviors of people with eating disorders are prime places for intervention
Teach the individual what is leading up to their habit of selecting food and associate interactions with foods to different reactions in the body (e.g., elevated heart rate, anxiety, etc.)
Family-supported models have been successful in establishing greater understanding and proper support around mealtime, food to keep on hand
Cognitive-behavioral therapies are often used in conjunction with other treatments
50% of individuals will relapse
Psychedelics: MDMA and psilocybin clinical trials are ongoing for the treatment of eating disorders
Use resistance training to build muscle and train the mind to see food as a way of nourishing the exercise
Definition of bulimia: binge eating or overeating then purging
Definition of binge eating: overeating, usually in sittings (but without the purging)
Many people with binge eating disorders are gravely obese – the signal to eat is there but the signal to stop eating is not
Traits of eating: ingesting 10-30x daily caloric intake within two hour period, unable to control eating and override signals
Frequency of binging: by definition, at least 1-2 times per month over a period of several months and usually increasing in frequency
Consequences of bulimia: disruption to the mucosal lining of the digestive tract, severe disruption to the microbiome, laceration of the esophagus, shame, social isolation because it’s hard to hide vomiting  
Lack of inhibitory control and hyper impulsivity separates bulimic from anorexic
Bulimia is prevalent in both sexes and appears to be on the rise
Pharmaceutical treatments for bulimia and binge eating increase serotonin to allow for more top-down control to push the brain into processing and anticipating outcomes
Deep brain stimulation is experimentally being used to treat binge eating disorder to offset the elevated sense of reward from binge eating
Behavioral interventions coupled with drug-based interventions are better than either alone