Overview. Cholecystokinin and eating.

This review focuses on the satiating effect of cholecystokinin (CCK) in humans. Current evidence supports a role for the peptide as a physiological satiety factor. The therapeutic potential of CCK analogs cannot be estimated until further studies are performed that demonstrate the efficacy of analogs for decreasing body weight, and the safety of CCK when administered chronically. Because the brain-gut axis is so important in the normal control of food intake, a great deal of caution is needed, particularly with agents that will presumably be taken for prolonged periods. Even so, at present it seems likely that we will see the introduction of CCK analogs or CCK antagonists as a new class of appetite-modulating agents in the not-too-distant future.