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2 - Regulation of food intake and body weight

from Part II - Scientific underpinnings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2009

Brett McDermott
By
Julian G. Mercer
Edited by
Tony Jaffa
Brett McDermott
Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Julian G. Mercer
Affiliation:
The Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen, UK
Tony Jaffa
Affiliation:
Phoenix Centre, Cambridge
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Summary

Introduction

To thrive, all mammals need to satisfy requirements for energy and nutrients. In order to maintain a stable body weight over an extended period, energy intake as solid or liquid food must be matched with energy expended in metabolism and physical activity with a remarkable degree of accuracy. For example, it has been calculated that the typical change in weight and body composition over a decade by an adult human would require energy supply and demand to be matched to a precision of around 0.2% (Weigle, 1994). This level of accuracy is achieved despite longitudinal variability in availability of, and requirement for, energy. For almost all mammals, other than those maintained under strictly controlled laboratory conditions, the composition, quality and quantity of food that is available for consumption will vary considerably between meals and from day to day, requiring the selection of a suitable combination of food types and quantities over longish periods to smooth out any temporary imbalances, such as a discontinuous supply. Similarly, energy demands will vary widely, being heavily influenced by factors such as developmental state (e.g. growing, reproducing), behaviour (e.g. social influences, migration) and environment (e.g. climate, season). Although the source of food may be discontinuous or irregular, a continuous supply of accessible energy is required for survival, necessitating storage of energy and nutrients, to ensure that supply always meets demand.

Keywords

body weightenergy balance systemsfood intakehindbrainhypothalamusobesity
Type
Chapter
Information
Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents , pp. 19 - 31
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

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