GHRL and Obesity: These mechanisms cannot be considered totally separate, indeed gut hormones such as ghrelin can alter the hedonic perceptions of food on presentation and consumption in response to negative energy balance, perhaps via the FTO gene expression or through dopaminergic mechanisms.26 A possible partial explanation for the recent obesity epidemic is that sensory stimulation related to food (that is, hedonic inputs) and overconsumption of palatable, energy-dense meals has increased markedly in society, whereas basic homeostatic satiety controls have remained stable.27, 28