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Hyperpalatability and the Generation of Obesity: Roles of Environment, Stress Exposure and Individual Difference

  • Etiology of Obesity (T Gill, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review investigates how exposure to palatable food and its associated cues alters appetite regulation and feeding behaviour to drive overeating and weight gain.

Recent Findings

Both supraphysiological and physiological feeding systems are affected by exposure to palatable foods and its associated cues. Preclinical research, largely using rodents, has demonstrated that palatable food modulates feeding-related neural systems and food-seeking behaviour by recruiting the mesolimbic reward pathway. This is supported by studies in adolescents which have shown that mesolimbic activity in response to palatable food cues and consumption predicts future weight gain. Additionally, stress exposure, environmental factors and individual susceptibility have been shown to modulate the effects of highly palatable foods on behaviour.

Summary

Further preclinical research using free-choice diets modelling the modern obesogenic environment is needed to identify how palatable foods drive overeating. Moreover, future clinical research would benefit from more appropriate quantification of palatability, making use of rating systems and surveys.

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  1. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Sarah-Jane Leigh, Frances Lee & Margaret J. Morris

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Leigh, SJ., Lee, F. & Morris, M.J. Hyperpalatability and the Generation of Obesity: Roles of Environment, Stress Exposure and Individual Difference. Curr Obes Rep 7, 6–18 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-018-0292-0

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