Intro Flashcards
What are the key areas of interest in eating behavior research?
Physiology vs. psychology
How our brain and body influence eating behavior
How the environment and other people influence eating
How we control and change eating behavior
Wider health implications of eating.
What is “typical appetite” regulation?
Early models based on homeostasis: motivated to avoid hunger and eat until balance is restored.
What is Setpoint Theory?
Suggests bodies are programmed to maintain a “setpoint” weight.
CCK (cholecystokinin): A key satiety signal released by stretch receptors in the stomach, influencing brainstem and hypothalamus.
Geracioti & Liddle (1988): Found delayed satiety in bulimia nervosa due to blunted CCK release.
What did studies on ob/ob mice reveal about leptin?
Leptin correlates with body fat and reduces food intake.
Injecting ob/ob mice with leptin caused weight loss.
Rare mutations in humans can impair leptin, leading to overeating.
2018 study: High-fat diets trigger MMP-2 enzyme production, causing leptin resistance by blocking receptors in the hypothalamus.
What did Professor Peter Rogers propose about hunger?
Hunger often reflects anticipation of food’s pleasure, not starvation.
A healthy-weight person has about 55 days of energy stored in adipose tissue.
Reframing hunger may help reduce overeating in environments with abundant food.
What is the difference between satiation and satiety?
Satiation: Processes during a meal that stop further eating.
Satiety: Post-meal inhibition of food intake.
Both involve sensory, cognitive, and post-ingestive factors (satiety cascade).
What are the economic and health costs of obesity in the UK?
NHS spent £6.1 billion on obesity-related ill health in 2017, projected to reach £9 billion by 2050.
Obesity-related hospital admissions reached 1 million in 2019-2020.
Obesity reduces life expectancy by up to 14 years.
What are the definitions and limitations of BMI?
BMI: A ratio of weight to height.
Limitations: Does not differentiate between fat and muscle mass.
Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are better predictors of obesity-related diseases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
How do societal norms and environmental factors influence eating?
Implicit norms: Gradual increase in portion sizes.
Explicit norms: Super-sizing trends.
Nudging can lead to disordered eating or compulsive behaviors, especially in vulnerable groups like adolescents.
What are the global impacts of obesity (WHO, 2000)?
Associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, 12+ cancers, liver disease, respiratory issues, and mental health problems.
Increased risk of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19.
What are effective interventions for obesity?
Multidimensional approaches targeting food and access.
Focus on reducing obesogenic environments.
Consider societal factors like deprivation.
Recognize genetic variability but avoid oversimplification.
