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From the article: The link between chronic pain and a loss of appetite may finally be understood – in mice at least.

Zhi Zhang at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei and his colleagues injected mice with bacteria that provoke chronic pain. Ten days later, these mice were eating less frequently and for shorter periods of time compared with control mice that had been injected with saline. When the first group of mice were later given pain medication, they ate normally, the researchers wrote in a paper published in Nature Metabolism.

To better understand the neuronal activity responsible for this change in behaviour, the researchers analysed the brains of the first group of mice while the animals were in chronic pain. They found substantial neuron signalling in the mice’s anterior cingulate cortex, a pain-processing region of the brain in the prefrontal cortex.

To determine whether that signalling was related to appetite loss, the researchers provoked chronic pain in another group of mice, with these animals going on to eat less. The team then administered a chemical that prevents neuronal signalling in the anterior cingulate cortex and the mice’s appetites improved.

The prefrontal cortex isn’t generally associated with appetite control. To better understand how neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex may influence appetite, the team injected various traceable substances into these neurons in a third group of mice that were similarly made to feel pain.

They found that these neurons’ signals led to the lateral hypothalamic area, the brain’s “feeding centre”.

New diet idea. Everytime you try to eat, I come and punch you. Only $120 per week. Don't worry, you will save that money on food very quickly.

Anyone interested?

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A lot of animals go hide, sit still, and stop eating when they are hurt or about to give birth. I was under the impression that they do this to heal up

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I'm the opposite. I eat unusual amounts of food whenever I'm injured or sick

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So is there a way for us to increase the amount we eat?

As someone who's always in pain I have also found this pathway.

I wonder if this would be true for all types of pain? For instance, the comment offering the gut punching service, would that type of pain actually lower your appetite?

Yes, you put more food in your mouth

But this says it decreases the food amount

Regular vigorous exercise, THC, tasty and easily eaten foods with no offensive textures, throw it down your neck hole somewhat quickly before your stomach can tell you it's full when it's clearly not.

I take medication that severely suppresses my appetite and this works for me. I forgo the THC before breakfast and lunch as I work in medicine, I also just don't want to be high all the time. The first two are usually smaller meals, I try to get at least 500 cals per with high protein then a large meal for dinner.

And then vomit it back up because you're still in terrible pain... Don't be a wise ass

New diet gadget by Apple: the iShock electrocutor, worn around the neck. In addition to boosting APPL stock, it also becomes a very strong fetish.

It has to be CHRONIC pain, so think about developing a business plan around that.

Does the opposite occur with emotional pain?

I think big Pharma is ran by mice. They can cure damn near anything in a mouse.

Same. I’m rarely hungry and only eat because I know I have to.

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Speculation: Perhaps if you are in pain, the body thinks that it shouldn't use resources to hunt/scavenge for food, and then consume and digest it. This talks about chronic pain, but I wonder if there is any correlation to how fitness people sometimes say that working out can help stymie hunger pangs. Also, in a similar vein, I wonder if this is related to why a buildup of lactic acid upsets the stomach.