I am so embarrassed.

I have been confusing ghrelin and leptin, as we all do from time to time.

Still, I am very embarrassed.

I know that they are appetite-related hormones, and there was recent news about them. And, it seems I am not alone in the confusion.

But, first let’s go to the news desk.

An international team with principal investigator in the United Kingdom has published A link between FTO, ghrelin, and impaired brain food-cue responsivity in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

In lay terms, as that is my language, what the study found was that individuals with the genetic indicator FTO, known for a tendency to obesity, are less satisfied after eating because of higher levels of ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite.

Ghrelin has been known about since 1999, and there has been considerable debate about the possibilities of a ghrelin-antagonist to address obesity in a pharmaceutical. The alternative would be a leptin-stimulant as it is leptin that gives us the feeling of satiety after eating.

One of the two approaches, or both, is likely to lead to a very effective pharmaceutical approach to obesity.

But, back to my confusion for a moment. A 2010 Spanish study found that after weight-loss dieting, lower levels of ghrelin and higher levels of leptin were associated with gaining back the lost weight. Furthermore, the ghrelin was significant for men while leptin was statistically significant for women.

Oh, my. I am very confused.