Stephan Explains Recent Happenings

I was in the habit of eating a banana everyday, because I knew it had potassium. Then one day I came to work with a banana and some brisket that was still hot since I cooked it in a crock-pot overnight. I felt it would be a shame to refrigerate it, so I ate it instead of the banana. Turns out, even when the portion sizes are equal, the brisket will keep me feeling full far longer than the banana. In fact, the banana now seems to me to trigger hunger, often in under an hour, while a bit of fatty meat can keep me hunger free for hours.

Stephan knows why:

First of all, when fat hits your small intestine (especially long-chain fatty acids), it sends a message to the brainstem via the vagus nerve. This rapidly inhibits eating behavior.

The hypothalamus can also inhibit glucose production by the liver in response to fat in the bloodstream, by sending it signals via the vagus nerve.


This is why the internet is so cool.