title: Nutrient balance: new insights into obesity.
abstract: This overview of nutrient balance suggests the following general conclusions. Nutrient balance is in part regulated by the two limbs of the autonomic nervous system. Hypothalamic and genetic obesity are associated with lower levels of sympathetic activity. Conversely the reduced weight of animals with lateral hypothalamic lesions is associated with increased sympathetic activity. Thus the activity of the sympathetic nervous system appears to be inversely related to energy stores. The levels of hormones such as insulin, adrenal steroids, gonadal steroids and growth hormone play an important role in modulating nutrient intake and storage. The data seem to fit the hypothesis that nutrient stores are regulated systems with afferent feedback systems acting on a central controller which regulates intake, storage and metabolism of nutrients through modulation of the autonomic nervous system and motor control of food seeking.
authors.affiliation: Section of Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition, University of Southern California, USC School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Bray
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*