Feeding Behavior Flashcards
What is the difference between enzymes in the saliva, stomach, and intestines?
Saliva: break down carbs
Stomach: break down proteins
Intestines: break down carbs + proteins + fat
What is tryptophan and its effects?
Helps melatonin production, aiding sleepiness
Increased by eating high carb diet
Enters brain by active transport protein that it shares with phenylalanine
When eating carbs there is an increase in insulin secretion, moving sugars and phenylalanine to storage which decreases competition making it easier for tryptophan to reach the brain
Describe sham-feeding
- Everything swallowed leaks out of a tube connected to the esophagus/stomach
- Individuals eat and swallow without becoming satiated
What is the role of the duodenum in feeding?
- Absorbs nutrients
- Nerves from duodenum inform about distension, type and amount of food
- Distension releases cholecystokinin (CCK) hormone
What is the role of CCK?
- Constricts sphincter between stomach and duodenum causing stomach to hold contents and fill quickly, hastening stomach distension
- Limits current meal size
Hormones secreted by pancreas
Insulin: secreted by beta cells
Glucagon: secreted by alpha cells
What are the differences between insulin and glucagon?
Insulin:
- Decreases blood glucose levels - Promotes glycogen synthesis in liver - Inhibits fat mobilization and promotes fat storage
Glucagon:
- Increases BG levels, acting in opposition to insulin
What is the mechanism to which glucose is stored after a meal?
- Pancreas increases the release of insulin before (sight and smell), during, and after a meal
- Insulin enables glucose to enter cells (can enter brain cells without insulin)
- Excess glucose goes to either:
- Liver cells where it is transformed to glycogen for storage
- Fat cells where it is turned into fat for storage
- After a meal, blood glucose (BG) decreases, insulin decreases, and glucose enters cells more slowly and hunger increases
- Pancreas increases glucagon release which stimulates the liver to convert stored glycogen to glucose
What happens if insulin levels constantly remain high?
BG goes into cells (liver + fat) long after a meal
- BG decreases because glucose is leaving the blood without any new entering, increasing hunger
Compare Type I and Type II Diabetes
Type I:
- Autoimmune system destroys beta cells in pancreas causing a loss of insulin, glucose cannot be used
- Present in children and has heritability
- Glucose is 3x more than normal, but little enters the cell due to decreased insulin levels
- Individuals eat more than normal but excrete most glucose and lose weight
Type II:
- Not taking up glucose because of a lack of insulin receptors - BG remains too high
What is the role of leptin?
Only found in vertebrates, produced by fat cells (the more fat cells, the more leptin) for long term feeding behavior regulation
Signals brain about fat reserves:
- Low levels of leptin signalling increases hunger and decrease activity - High levels of leptin signalling decreases hunger and increase activity
Compare time restricted feeding and intermittent fasting
Time restricted feeding:
- Restrict amount of time not eating and eating every day
Intermittent fasting:
- Not chronic calorie restriction
Compare the standard macronutrient breakdown and a low carb diet
Standard breakdown: 50% carbs, 30% fats, 20% protein
Low carb: <20% carbs
How is BMI calculated and what are the categories?
BMI = m/h^2
<18.5 kg/h^2: underweight
18.5-25: normal
25-30: overweight
>30: obese
What are the types of obesity heritability?
- Syndromal obesity: gene causes a medical problem that includes obesity
- Monogenetic obesity: 1 gene leads to obesity without other physical or mental abnormalities
- Ex. mutation of melanocortin receptor gene
- Polygenetic/common obesity: many genes that each slightly increase the probability of obesity
- Ex. variant of FTO gene increase the probability by 2/3