For a long time, GIP was considered "the obesity hormone," with initial research suggesting that the hormone can, indeed, promote obesity.
One study, in particular, found that excessive GIP secretion after eating food leads to increased body fat.
However, recent studies have contradicted this idea, with newer evidence that GIP receptor agonists can actually play a role in combating obesity.
GIP stands for glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide. The GIP hormone was originally discovered as a hormone that could inhibit gastric acid secretion and protect the small intestine from acid damage. Since then, it has been discovered that GIP’s main role in the body is to stimulate insulin production in response to sugars being present in the small intestine.
GIP was previously known as gastric inhibitory polypeptide or gastric inhibitory peptide.
GIP is an incretin hormone released by K cells in your small intestine, which stimulates insulin secretion after you eat food that contains sugars. It targets beta cells — which are unique cells found in the pancreas — in 2 ways:
- By encouraging them to secrete insulin, which helps keep your blood sugar levels low
- By increasing the pancreas cells' production and decreasing the rate at which they break down
When your pancreas’ beta cells function properly, your body can convert sugars into glycogen, which is stored in your liver and muscle tissue, and then broken down into glucose when you need energy in between meals. This reduces the amount of sugar circulating in your blood.
Additionally, GIP receptors are also found in the brain, where the hormone promotes the production of cells that will eventually turn into nerve cells, and in bones, where it promotes bone formation and helps to prevent bone breakdown.