When fatty or protein-rich food leaves your stomach, I cells in your small intestine notice. They send out CCK, a messenger that calls in the helpers.
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I cells live in the lining of the first part of your small intestine, just after the stomach.
Like other gut hormone cells, an I cell is tall. Its top touches the food passing by, and its bottom is full of tiny bubbles of a hormone called CCK.
Scroll up to the 3D model and press Send CCK to watch the hormone head into the blood.
When I cells sense fat and protein, they let CCK into the blood. CCK does several jobs:
CCK also helps send a message to your brain that says: I'm full!