July 2022: Carmit Levy: Exposure to sunlight may make men hungry

A study published in Nature Metabolism, led by Prof. Carmit Levy, Edmond J. Safra affiliate (Medicine), discovered that  sunshine stimulates release of a ‘hunger hormone’ in males, boosting appetite.

The researchers were looking into the effect of seasonality on food intake. They analyzed dietary data of some 3,000 people who participated in a nutritional study. They found that men increased their caloric intake by about 300 calories a day during the summer, while women did not. To investigate further, the scientists then had men and women volunteers go out on bright, sunny days. The participants wore sleeveless shirts and shorts, with the researchers theorizing that the effect is correlated with the amount of skin exposed to the sun. They found that the sunshine induced the release of the hormone ghrelin into the men’s blood, but not the women’s. Ghrelin, known as a “hunger hormone,” boosts appetite, among other effects.

The researchers found the same process in mice. Male mice had more ghrelin in their bloodstream and ate more after exposure to UVB light rays, a type of sunlight, but female mice did not. The researchers hope the findings will lead to new sex-based treatments of diseases.

The research had an extensive coverage in the Media:

SUN , THE GUARDIAN, DAILY MAIL, TIMES OF ISRAEL, Birminghammail, QOSHE, Vigourtimes, FLIPBOARD, usmail24, Newstimesuk , Newsfounded,

world-today-news, Abc, IsraelHayom, Haaretz , WALLA, 24ur.