Bringing Homeostasis Back into Weight Control

Homeostasis is a well-known concept in physiology and medicine, and as obesity is becoming pandemic, homeostasis is finally emerging as a scientific interest in the field of weight control. However, instead of being incorporated into public health education the discoveries in weight homeostasis arise from a desire to find medical and surgical solutions to the problem of overweight. Energy homeostasis involves a myriad of biochemical forces aimed at keeping a balanced weight. Despite homeostatic forces both voluntary and automatic, many of the world’s populace is storing excess energy. Standard interventions and education to curb the obesity epidemic acknowledge the effect of overriding “fullness” cues on weight gain and have focused on education that has people cutting back and eating healthy. Unfortunately, this may result in another disruption in homeostasis that could also result in excess weight. Ignoring either anorexigenic or orexigenic forces causes a disruption in homeostasis that may result in overcompensation. Because starvation is more of an immediate threat than obesity, the error in weight homeostasis is to preserve energy stores over leanness. Ignoring hunger cues can be as detrimental to maintaining leanness as ignoring fullness cues. Before resorting to artificial means to combat overcompensation, perhaps patient education could teach the value of tuning into homeostatic cues. Eating in this intuitive and intrinsic way may provide an effective and accessible means to stay healthy and avoid excessive weight gain.