Obesity etiology encompasses several factors; many of which are related with nutrition and behavioral disorders, endocrine alterations, drug use, neurologic and genetic diseases. The intriguing “fat epidemic”, with its staggering ever-growing numbers, has been the focus of speculation regarding the true reasons for its expansion, since sedentary lifestyle and changes in diets with fat intake al...

CONTROL OF FOOD INTAKE is complex, involving multiple interconnected pathways and signal elements. A paper by Wang and Kotz (11) in this issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology illustrates some of the complexity and carries implications for how the regulation of food intake is integrated into the daily life of humans and other animals. Wang...

This review presents 4 lines of evidence supporting a role for proteins in the regulation of food intake and maintenance of healthy body weights. It is concluded that the protein content of food, and perhaps its source, is a strong determinant of short-term satiety and of how much food is eaten. Although the role of protein in the regulation of long-term food intake and body weight is less clea...

Adenosine 5’-Monophosphate (AMP) Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK), mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR), Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptors (PPARs) have been reported to serve as an intracellular fuel sensors to regulate cell metabolism. Fuel sensors are involved in sensing of nutrient availability and metabolic hormones, thereby contribute to control of appetite. This review summarizes...

The adipocyte hormone leptin regulates body weight in mice by decreasing food intake and increasing energy expenditure. Whether leptin is of physiological importance for these processes in humans is, however, not clear. We therefore studied the relation between leptin and habitual food intake in 64 healthy postmenopausal women. Dietary habits were assessed with a modified diet history method. B...