If only nourishment were a simple process: Get hungry, eat, get full, stop eating. In reality, an array of biochemicals sending signals between the brain and the body control both hunger and appetite, and the difference between the two is complex.
Hunger denotes a physical need for food; appetite is a desire for food—and it can be difficult to distinguish between the two. Appetite can be influenced by physical conditions such as blood sugar levels, hormones , and exercise. It can also be driven by mood and emotions. Stress , loneliness , and boredom can trigger eating and drive an individual to the choice of fatty, sugary, or salty foods instead of healthier, more nutritious options.
Emotional eating can also override signals of fullness, which can lead to overeating and result in weight problems if the behavior becomes routine. No one should ignore the body’s cravings, but it is wise to be mindful about what may be driving a desire for food.
Key Takeaways
- Appetite affects mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing
- Understanding appetite is the first step toward managing it
- Evidence-based approaches can significantly improve outcomes
- Building daily habits is more effective than one-time interventions
What Creates Appetite?
It may seem like the stomach is the arbiter of hunger, but the brain is calling the shots. It is important to remember that humans evolved under conditions of food scarcity, and that such scarcity prevailed for most of human history.
Maintaining a body weight that allows not just for everyday functioning but for reproduction of the species, then, has not been left to chance: Many hormones and neurochemicals help regulate appetite and influence weight. Researchers believe the hormone ghrelin plays a central role in stimulating hunger. Ghrelin is produced in the stomach, and an empty stomach prompts the hormone to be released into the bloodstream and travel to the brain, where it activates nerve cells that increase appetite. Once eating begins, the stomach expands, curbing the release of ghrelin and diminishing a person's appetite.
People are driven to eat for many reasons besides hunger. Social cues can subtly raise appetite, because people tend to eat more during a meal with friends or family than during a meal by themselves. Cultural norms, such as finishing what’s on the plate, and sensory cues, such as the smell of warm chocolate cake can also influence appetite and the amount of food people consume.
Sleep habits can influence the hormones that control appetite, potentially leading to weight gain. Levels of the hormone ghrelin increase with poor sleep, producing greater feelings of hunger. And the hormone leptin decreases, which requires more food for a person to feel full. Additionally, sleep disruptions can alter how food is metabolized, and lead to less exercise and general movement the next day.
A sudden desire to eat more could be due to physical conditions such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, Grave’s disease, premenstrual syndrome, and side effects of some medications. In terms of mental health, stress , anxiety , and depression can lead to different eating patterns including increased appetite.
For most of human evolutionary history, calories were scarce and uncertain. So even today, we want to store as much energy as possible. That mindset hinders appetite in several ways. Our instincts tell us to keep eating well beyond when we are sated. Worse, the foods we crave—calorie-dense fats and sugars—were once rare and valued as a bulwark against starvation; now they're plentiful and harmful in excess. And we don't crave plants, precisely because they were more abundant in our past.
Overeating and Emotional Eating
Emotions can have a powerful influence on our food choices. Consuming food for the purpose of regulating emotions, rather than to satisfy hunger, is called emotional eating or stress eating. It can be evoked by stress, depression, sadness, shame , anger , loneliness , and boredom .
Many people struggle with emotional eating at some point, but research suggests that therapies such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy , Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy can help people overcome patterns of emotional eating.
Stress levels are central to emotional eating . Other components of motivation and self-regulation may be involved as well, including restrained eating (restricting and monitoring food intake, which can lead to constant thoughts of food), impulsivity (not considering the consequences of unhealthy food consumption), reward sensitivity (how responsive one is to the mood-lifting properties of comfort food), and cognitive reappraisal (how one evaluates an emotion -inducing situation).
Developing coping skills to manage the stress that induces emotional eating is key to changing the habit. That can be accomplished by learning skills around time management , problem solving, conflict resolution, mindfulness , and cognitive behavioral therapy. People can also take action by anticipating situations that might lead to challenging food choices, such as by not going grocery shopping when they’re hungry and or buying foods they know will be hard to resist, for example.
Compulsive overeating is called Binge-Eating Disorder. Binges involve eating an abnormally large amount of food in a contained time period, accompanied by feeling a lack of control over eating during the binge, according to the DSM-5 . Binges may involve eating abnormally fast, eating until uncomfortably full, and feelings of shame and distress. Binges tend to occur once a week for at least three months to receive a diagnosis.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is appetite?
If only nourishment were a simple process: Get hungry, eat, get full, stop eating. In reality, an array of biochemicals sending signals between the brain and the body control both hunger and appetite, and the difference between the two is complex.
Is appetite a serious condition?
Appetite exists on a spectrum. While mild forms are a normal part of life, persistent or severe appetite can significantly impact daily functioning and quality of life. It's important to seek professional support if appetite is interfering with work, relationships, or wellbeing.
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