Black Women May Fall Prey to Hunger Hormone

**intuitivetena** · 08-09-2006

Black women may be more prone to obesity than white women because they are naturally hungrier, a new study shows.

Researchers found black women had significantly higher levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin after eating than white women -- regardless of their weight, calorie intake, or age.

Ghrelin is a hormone released primarily in the stomach, which is thought to trigger hunger. Ghrelin levels increase dramatically before a meal and then are suppressed for about three hours after eating a meal.

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S., but researchers say African Americans are 1.6 times more likely to be obese than whites. Statistics show that 31% of African Americans are obese compared with 20% of whites.

As a result, researchers say black women suffer from higher rates of obesity-related illnesses, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, than white women.

**Shaheed** · 08-09-2006

where did you get this information from?

**intuitivetena** · 08-09-2006

Originally Posted by Shaheed

where did you get this information from?

This aricle is from wedMD Medical News

**Shaheed** · 08-09-2006

I will spread this around

thanks that was good read

**Nia Imani** · 08-14-2006

I've read in Ebony magazine that a gene that enabled our Afrikan ancestors to survive cycles of feast and famine may make weight control more difficult for many of us today. However, our Afrikan ancestors ate healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. They also did more physical labor and got more exercise than we do today. This survival gene may have adverse effects on our health today because many of us eat overprocessed "junk" foods and get little to no exercise. It is estimated that 7 out of 10 Black women in the U.S. are either overweight or obese.