Abstrakt
Appetite regulation and adequate eating behavior are crucial for survival. To begin and to stop eating is a complex process.
Appetite regulation, perception of hunger and satiety, eating behavior, and food preferences are in great part determined by genetic factors. Therefore, if tasty and energy-rich food is freely available in potentially unlimited quantities, overeating may occur due to insufficient defense mechanisms.
Pleasure-seeking and edonic responses to food intake are mediated by humoral substances, for example, endorphins, dopamine, and endocannabinoids. In conclusion, a number of signals contribute to the central regulation of appetite and satiety by acting directly on the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus.
Mutations of genes involved in energy balance regulation as the leptin-melanocortin pathway lead to a loss of control over appetite and early-onset severe obesity. Probably more factors that play a role in energy intake regulation exist and so far have not been identified