A new action of peptide hormones for survival in a low-nutrient environment

Abstract

Malnutrition occurs when nutrient intake is too low for any reason and occurs regardless of gender or age. Therefore, besides loss of eating or digestive functionality due to illness, malnutrition can occur when a healthy individual undergoes an extreme diet and biases their nutrition, or when athletes exerts more energy than they can replenish through food. It has recently been reported that in Japan, the mortality rate of leaner individuals is equal to or higher than that of obese people. It is important to understand what homeostatic maintenance mechanism is behind this when the body is under hypotrophic conditions. Such mechanisms are generally endocranially controlled. We address this fundamental concern in this paper by focusing on peptide hormones. We introduce a mechanism for survival in a malnourished state via the regulation of food intake and temperature. Additionally, we will discuss the latest findings and future prospects for research on changes in the endocrine environment associated with malnutrition associated with exercise. We also review changes in next-generation endocrine environments when caused by malnutrition brought on by dieting.