The regulation of appetite relies on complex hypothalamic neurocircuitry in which the arcuate nucleus and the hormone leptin, ghrelin play important roles. Excess body fat is stored in adipose tissue which forms over 10% of total body weight, but it is now clear that adipocytes have functions other than simple storage cells. The most significant of these appears to be the secretory. Obesity is the result of a sustained disequilibrium between energy intake and energy expenditure. If energy intake is too high or energy expenditure too low, an increase in body weight will develop over time. While in the past the contribution of an increased consumption of high-calorie food has been thought to be the primary factor in the pathogenesis of obesity, reduced physical activity is now thought to be equally or even more important. Even a small difference between these parameters becomes relevant if it is maintained over a prolonged period. It is clear to people living in the Western world that obesity is increasing, probably as a consequence of easily available, fat-rich food and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and due to this obesity is fast becoming a global epidemic and a potential financial problem for the developing countries. The present review mainly focuses on basic neurological basis of eating behavior and its relation in the pathogenesis of obesity.
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