The Science of Hunger & Medications to Combat Obesity | Dr. Zachary Knight

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Zachary Knight, Ph.D., a professor
of physiology at the University of California, San Francisco
(UCSF), and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator. We
discuss how the brain controls our sense of hunger, satiety, and
thirst. He explains how dopamine levels impact our cravings and
eating behavior (amount, food choices, etc) and how we develop and
can change our food preferences and adjust how much we need to eat
to feel satisfied. We discuss factors that have led to the recent
rise in obesity, such as interactions between our genes and the
environment and the role of processed foods and food combinations.
We also discuss the new class of medications developed for the
treatment of obesity and diabetes, including the GLP-1 agonists
semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro). We
discuss how these medications work to promote weight loss, the
source of their side effects, and the newer compounds soon to
overcome some of those side effects, such as muscle loss. Dr.
Knight provides an exceptionally clear explanation for our sense of
hunger, thirst, and food cravings that translates to practical
knowledge to help listeners better understand their relationship to
food, food choices, and meal size to improve their diet and overall
health. For show notes, including referenced articles and
additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to
our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman  BetterHelp:
https://betterhelp.com/huberman Eight Sleep:
https://eightsleep.com/huberman Waking Up:
https://wakingup.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman
Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Zachary Knight 00:02:38 Sponsors:
BetterHelp, Helix Sleep & Waking Up 00:07:07 Hunger &
Timescales 00:11:28 Body Fat, Leptin, Hunger 00:17:51 Leptin
Resistance & Obesity 00:20:52 Hunger, Food Foraging &
Feeding Behaviors, AgRP Neurons 00:30:26 Sponsor: AG1 00:32:15 Body
Weight & Obesity, Genes & POMC Neurons 00:39:54 Obesity,
Genetics & Environmental Factors 00:46:05 Whole Foods,
Ultra-Processed Foods & Palatability 00:49:32 Increasing Whole
Food Consumption, Sensory Specific Satiety & Learning 00:58:55
Calories vs. Macronutrients, Protein & Salt 01:02:23 Sponsor:
LMNT 01:03:58 Challenges of Weight Loss: Hunger & Energy
Expenditure 01:09:50 GLP-1 Drug Development, Semaglutide, Ozempic,
Wegovy 01:19:03 GLP-1 Drugs: Muscle Loss, Appetite Reduction,
Nausea 01:23:24 Pharmacologic & Physiologic Effects; GLP-1
Drugs, Additional Positive Effects 01:30:14 GLP-1-Plus Development,
Tirzepatide, Mounjaro, AMG 133 01:34:49 Alpha-MSH &
Pharmacology 01:40:41 Dopamine, Eating & Context 01:46:01
Dopamine & Learning, Water Content & Food 01:53:23 Salt,
Water & Thirst 02:03:27 Hunger vs. Thirst 02:05:46 Dieting,
Nutrition & Mindset 02:09:39 Tools: Improving Diet &
Limiting Food Intake 02:14:15 Anti-Obesity Drug Development
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