Gut-Brain Communication in the Regulation of System Metabolism

Overweight and obesity are major health threats in modern societies. The regulation of energy metabolism, and thus also hunger and satiety, is a complex process that depends on a constant cross talk of peripheral and central signal mechanisms. To sustain a stable body weight over time, this network must not only take into account the fuel signals from digestive organs but also long-term signals about the energy stored as fat in the body. The aim of this chapter is to summarize the current knowledge of how the gut-brain axis regulates system metabolism. Copyright (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel