title: Control of Body Weight by Eating Behavior in Children.
abstract: Diet, exercise, and pharmacological interventions have limited effects in counteracting the worldwide increase in pediatric body weight. Moreover, the promise that individualized drug design will work to induce weight loss appears to be exaggerated. We suggest that the reason for this limited success is that the cause of obesity has been misunderstood. Body weight is mainly under external control; our brain permits us to eat under most circumstances, and unless the financial or physical cost of food is high, eating and body weight increase by default. When energy-rich, inexpensive foods are continually available, people need external support to maintain a healthy body weight. Weight loss can thereby be achieved by continuous feedback on how much and how fast to eat on a computer screen.
authors.affiliation: Section of Applied Neuroendocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Mandometer Clinic Novum , Huddinge , Sweden.
authors.forename: Modjtaba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zandian
authors.affiliation: Section of Applied Neuroendocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Mandometer Clinic Novum , Huddinge , Sweden.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bergh
authors.affiliation: Section of Applied Neuroendocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Mandometer Clinic Novum , Huddinge , Sweden.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ioakimidis
authors.affiliation: Section of Applied Neuroendocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Mandometer Clinic Novum , Huddinge , Sweden.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esfandiari
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol , Bristol , UK ; Department of Diabetes, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol , Bristol , UK ; Department of Metabolic Endocrinology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol , Bristol , UK.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shield
authors.affiliation: Henry Wellcome Laboratories for Integrative Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, University of Bristol , Bristol , UK.
authors.forename: Stafford
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lightman
authors.affiliation: Section of Applied Neuroendocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Mandometer Clinic Novum , Huddinge , Sweden.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leon
authors.affiliation: Section of Applied Neuroendocrinology, Karolinska Institutet, Mandometer Clinic Novum , Huddinge , Sweden.
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Södersten
keywords: body weight; brain; children; eating behavior; genes