Peripheral mechanisms in the control of appetite and related experimental therapies in obesity.

The function of the stomach and the gut hormonal responses to food ingestion constitute highly integrated homeostatic responses that maintain euglycemia and normal digestion. This intrinsic feedback involves vagal and hormonal mechanisms. Important signals such as GLP-1 and PYY that arise peripherally induce satiation and also delay gastric emptying or increase insulin secretion. Novel therapies are being developed to mimic or enhance these feedback mechanisms and to control appetite as a means to treat obesity.