Neuropeptide Y and the regulation of feeding

NPY-treated animals have been reported to show strong preference for carbohydrate when pure macronutrient diets are available, with little or no effect on fat or protein intake (Stanley etal., 1985b Tempel and Leibowitz, 1990). This had led to the suggestion that NPY may be involved in mediating the consumption of carbohydrate, which is the macronutrient of choice at the start of the active feeding period in rats (Tempel et al., 1989). Indeed, peak levels of NPY are detected in the hypothalamus at this time (Jhanwar Uniyal et al., 1990 McKibbin et al., 1991b). Others have failed to reproduce this carbohydrate selection in food preference studies, and it is possible that palatability and caloric content of diets may account for reported effects on macronutrient selection. 

NPY is one of the few appetite stimulants shown to have a physiological role in the 

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