Diet and eating behavior: Appetite control and satiety

Appetite control is influenced by biological, nutritional, physical, and social factors which interact to form a complex system. Appetite cannot be considered as a single entity that can be reduced to a simple cause and effect process. A key feature of humans is that they are omnivores and have the potential to make choices from a huge variety of foods. This is both an asset and a liability.

Appetite can be broadly divided into the drive to eat and food choice behavior. The experienced pleasure of eating (hedonics) is a major influence on food choice. Foods chosen bring about an inhibition to the drive to eat through the processes of satiation and satiety. Satiety is the post-prandial inhibitory component of appetite control. There is huge individual variability in the way people experience satiety. The strength of satiety is heavily influenced by the diet selected. In modern technological societies, components of diets have important effects on appetite control.