Persistent early satiety and loss of appetite may be more than just a lack of interest in food; they can be signals warning of imbalances in our body's complex nervous system and hormones. Modern medicine often explains this through communication problems in the gut-brain axis and vagus nerve hypofunction. Our brain and gut constantly exchange signals as if communicating telepathically, and when disruptions occur in this network, digestive function often develops problems.
First, early satiety is closely related to gastric motility. When food enters the stomach, the stomach breaks it down through peristalsis and sends it down into the small intestine. However, when this motility decreases, food remains inside the stomach for too long. Consequently, even eating a small amount makes the stomach feel completely full, sending a message of discomfort along with an 'I cannot eat any more' signal to the brain. At this time, a disruption in the balance of appetite-regulating hormones secreted by the stomach, such as ghrelin and leptin, also exerts a major influence. Ghrelin stimulates appetite while leptin induces satiety. When leptin resistance or abnormal ghrelin secretion develops, the brain fails to respond properly to the signals sent by the body.
In addition, stress acts as an important factor. Under stressful conditions, the sympathetic nerve becomes activated, triggering a fight-or-flight response, which can suppress the activity of the parasympathetic nerve responsible for digestion, particularly the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in regulating gastrointestinal motility and digestive fluid secretion. If this nerve fails to function properly, the stomach becomes sluggish, digestive efficiency drops, and a vicious cycle of decreased appetite naturally emerges. Chronic stress also negatively impacts the gut microbiota environment, triggering inflammatory reactions such as leaky gut syndrome, which in turn can lead to systemic inflammation and neurotransmitter imbalances, worsening the loss of appetite.
Ultimately, what the Donguibogam refers to as stomach qi deficiency can be viewed in modern medicine as the combined result of various factors, including decreased gastrointestinal motility, hormonal imbalance, vagus nerve dysfunction, and abnormal communication along the gut-brain axis. It is paramount that we do not overlook the subtle signals sent by our bodies and instead restore balance through healthy lifestyle habits.
