Mechanisms that Control Appetite and Feeding Behavior - Coursework Example

Mechanisms That Control Appetite and Feeding Behavior Introduction Medical science, history, and culture have from time to time reflected that what we are being determined by what we eat. Therefore, our eating behavior, choices, and patterns represent a complex interplay between satiety, hunger, and appetite. In this case, understanding the factors that affect the eating behavior and appetite control is important in understanding what we eat and why. Our perceptive of the physiological coordination, which regulates our meals ingestion and body weight, has developed over the years, for instance, understanding our brain centers, hormones, physical environment, and the neutral factors that control our feeding behaviors. The following essay will help one understand the basics of these common terms that are directly related to eating behaviors, and the various factors that contribute to our eating behavior and appetite control. Appetite, hunger, and satiety Hunger is defined as a psychological need for food; this is because of the decreased blood glucose levels, and an alteration of the body circulating hormones for instance, decreased insulin and an increased glucagon and ghrelin. On appetite, it is the psychological desire to have food or eat, therefore; it is mainly associated with sensory experiences such as the smell for food, sight, social situations, and emotional indications. To develop a difference between the two, hunger is the basic drive while appetite is a reflection of eating and sometime one can have an appetite for food even if they are no hungry, however, they both determine what, why, and when we eat. Lastly, satiety is that psychological and physiological experience, brought about after eating. In this case, there is the decrease of glucagon and increase of insulin and blood glucose (SIZER, PICHÉ, & WHITNEY, 2012, p. 343). Regions of the brain involved in appetite control The brain takes an important function in the regulation and control of eating behaviors, energy metabolism, and nutrition partitioning, particularly in the hypothalamus (ARC) and the brain stem. The brain begins responding to feeding prior to the eating of food; therefore, the smell or sight of food stimulates endocrine and exocrine production in the gut as well as rising gut motility. The ARC is particularly involved in feeding behavior also in releasing hormones. In the case of an appetite, it is because of multiple signals sent to the hypothalamus such as hormonal, neural signals, which are later processed by neurotransmitters. These signals act on two different neural population, which are orexigenic agouti-related peptide and neuronal populations; the other population releases proopiomelanocortin and cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript, which of both inhibit feeding behaviors (PREEDY, WATSON, & MARTIN, 2011, p. 505-510). Moreover, according to scientist, eating is not the right way to feed the psychological hunger, although they are connected to the physiological hunger. Obesity and eating disorder occur because people mistakenly try satisfying the psychological hunger by eating food, but until people realize that feeding the mind is the only reason for an individual to eel satiated. This means that until we understand that it is the mind that needs food and not the body, people will never be satisfied with what they eat. Thus, hunger is not solemly responsible for how the body develops physiologically, but also about how people’s mind and body are sufficiently fed, not only by the food that a person takes, but also by the environment around them (PREEDY, WATSON, & MARTIN, 2011, p. 505-510). Neural factors associated with appetite control The motivation of eating in people is a complex process influenced by several mechanisms relating to hunger and extrinsic mechanisms based on the appetitive incentive value of individual foods that can themselves induce desire. for the past several years, there have been an increase in different eating disorders, and clearly, there are strong homeostatic regulatory mechanisms keeping body weight of several people while other people seem to eat not only because of their metabolic need, also because of too much hedonic drive to make them feel better and relief stress. At the end, some people will exhibit addiction behavior towards food. In the brain, interconnected neural circuits that use several neuropeptides and neurotransmitters that receive input on the level of energy balance through peripheral and endocrine factors control the termination, initiation, and the choices of food. Therefore, the specificity of the signals provides great potential for the development of weight loss drugs (TORTORA, & DERRICKSON, 2009, p. 925-926). Hormonal factors associated with appetite control Several hormones are associated with appetite and hunger control, mostly when the brain receives signals, for example; from smell or sight of food. Hormones are one factor in causing obesity; some of the hormones include insulin, peptides, gastrointestinal hormones, and adiponectin hormone and some sex hormones and this influence appetite, fat distribution, and metabolism. Gastrointestinal hormones are common regulators of appetite and are found in the gut. The hormone regulates the process of absorption and digestion of nutrients by the gut. In this case, the local effects on gastrointestinal motility and emission are well characterized, therefore, by changing the rate through which the nutrients are distributed to sections of the alimentary canal; the management of food intake possibly comprises another point through which involvement may endorse efficient nutrients digestion and uptake (ELIA, 2013, p. 114-115). Leptin is the other hormone produced by fat cells, which decreases a person’s appetite; ghrelin is also a hormone that increases appetite and plays a significant role in body weight. Therefore, the levels of leptin are lower when a person is thin and higher if a person is fat, thus building resistance to the suppressing effects of the hormone. Growth hormones also inhibit appetite control, produced in the brain and influences a person’ height and bone development, additionally, the hormones also affect metabolism. The levels of growth hormones are higher in fat people unlike in normal people. Cholecystokinin is a hormone released by the duodenum, to respond to the high protein and high fat food intake. The hormone signals the brain thus triggering a sense of satiety. Therefore, fatty foods are an effective trigger in the secretion of cholecystokinin (ELIA, 2013, p. 114-115). Physical factors associated with appetite control Physical activities have the ability to adjust appetite control by increasing the sensitivity of the physiological satiety signaling system, through regulating macronutrient inclinations or food choices and by changing the hedonic reaction to food. Relating to the effect of physical activities on energy balance, over the years, there has existed beliefs that physical activities escalates hunger thus amplifying food intake; thereby picturing it as an ineffective method of weight control (JOOST, 2012, p. 90). According to research by different scientists, they have concluded that the instantaneous result of taking up exercises is weight loss, however, consequently food intakes begin to alleviate so to provide compensation for about 30% of the energy spent in physical activities. "Therefore, higher food consumption is related to increased physical activity. Regular exercise, on the other hand, will help regulate appetite and help limit excess food consumption" (JOOST, 2012, p. 89). In other cases, it has been concluded that minimal exercise does not increase energy intake, even when vigorous exercise is taken; therefore, exercise is able to induce a short-term negative energy balance (JOOST, 2012, p. 90). However, vigorous exercise has been found to reduce hunger acutely, a notion that has been described as exercise induced anorexia although this idea is short-term although it is unlikely to have had an effect on the energy intake. Research has shown that, an increase in appetite sensation, a decrease in energy intake, or an increase in subsequent energy intake is in responses to acute exercise. Lastly, there are various physical factors such as poor dentition and ill-fitting dentures, changes in taste associated with the elderly may influence food choice, appetite, limit, and the quantity of food intake. Some of these physical factors influence the way the elderly people control their appetite and their hunger (JOOST, 2012, p. 89). Recent pharmaceutical developments in appetite control Researchers have viewed appetite an area of attention in developing countries due to the increasing rate of obesity. There are several mechanisms involved in food intake, where the satiety level of a person and the psychological state are responsible for appetite expression. Generally, there are specific manipulations of macronutrients that have the potential to affect appetite control; therefore, some of the pharmaceuticals have developed formulation and sensitizer compounds that act as appetite suppressants either intravenously or orally. For instance, Belviq is Arena pharmaceuticals in Swiss products and it works by reducing cravings; therefore, a person gets to eat less and feel full, after eating a small amount of food (PETERS, 2012, p. 11). Conclusion Hunger is activated by several different cues, environmental and biological. Eating on the other hand, is a behavioral act carried out through colonially skeletal musculature, and it is often believed that eating is; invariably under voluntary conscious control. However, despite the fact that eating is an action open to awareness by an individual, it cannot be claimed that processes that control the expression of eating habits are necessarily explicit. Concerning the appetite control, the essay has outline various aspects in controlling appetite, for instance, hormones, neural, physical factors and region of the brain that control eating behavior and appetite control. Additionally, researchers in genetics have made it possible for people having eating disorders such as obesity to control their appetite and their eating behavior; they have done this by pharmaceuticals producing suppressants drugs. References ELIA, M., 2013. Clinical nutrition. Chichester, West Sussex, Wiley-Blackwell. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=561436. JOOST, H.-G.,2012. Appetite Control. Berlin, Springer. PETERS, J.-U., 2012. Polypharmacology in drug discovery. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9781118098141. PREEDY, V. R., WATSON, R. R., & MARTIN, C. R., 2011. Handbook of behavior, food and nutrition. New York, Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92271-3. SIZER, F. S., PICHÉ, L. A., & WHITNEY, E. N., 2012. Nutrition: concepts and controversies. Toronto, Nelson Education. 343 TORTORA, G. J., & DERRICKSON, B.,2009. Principles of anatomy and physiology. Hoboken, NJ, John Wiley & Sons. Read More