Destroying it would make the animal's stomach and intestines to process food more rapidly, causing it to become extremely fat. The animal would eat more, produce more fat, and use less fat for energy.
Ventromedial hypothalamus and the lateral hypothalamus.
Ventromedial hypothalamus
Damage to the ventromedial hypothalamus can lead to overeating, obesity, and impaired satiety signals. This region is involved in regulating feelings of fullness and controlling food intake, so its destruction can disrupt feeding behavior and satiety regulation.
Ventromedial Hypothalamus is removed
The lateral hypothalamus (LH) is primarily involved in regulating hunger and energy balance; it stimulates appetite and promotes feeding behavior. In contrast, the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) plays a critical role in satiety and suppressing appetite. Together, these areas help maintain energy homeostasis in the body by balancing hunger and fullness signals. Dysfunction in either region can lead to issues such as obesity or anorexia.
The hypothalamus, a crucial part of the limbic system, regulates hunger. It integrates signals related to energy balance and nutrient levels, influencing appetite and feeding behavior. Specific regions within the hypothalamus, such as the lateral hypothalamus and ventromedial hypothalamus, play key roles in stimulating or suppressing hunger, respectively.
The appetite center is primarily located in the hypothalamus, particularly in the lateral hypothalamus, which is involved in stimulating hunger. In contrast, the satiety center is also found in the hypothalamus, specifically in the ventromedial hypothalamus, which helps regulate feelings of fullness and suppresses hunger. These two centers work together to maintain energy balance and regulate food intake.
Stimulating specific areas of the hypothalamus can have various effects on the body and behavior. For example, stimulating the lateral hypothalamus can increase hunger and lead to increased food intake, while stimulating the ventromedial hypothalamus can suppress appetite and cause decreased food intake. Stimulating other areas of the hypothalamus can also regulate sleep, thirst, body temperature, and hormone release.
in short, yes, your lateral hypothalamus controlls your feeling of hunger, which without feeling this drive you wouldn't be compelled to eat. if your ventromedial hypothalamus were to suffer damage it would have the opposite affect, you would never feel full. as far as i know this has only been tested on mice using lesions in the brain.
lateral hypothalamus
optic part, which contains 2 nuclei = supraoptic + paraventricular nucleituberal part, has 3 nuclei = ventromedial + dorsomedial + tubral nucleimamillary part, has 2 nuclei = posterior + lateral nucleiposterior perforated substance
The hypothalamus controls a lot of different things in the human body so many things would happen if it was destroyed. You would lose the ability to control your body temperature, you would not know when you are hungry, and you would lose all behavior attachments.