Genetics of eating behavior: established and emerging concepts

Abstract

Understanding why we eat and the motivational factors driving food choices is important to addressing the epidemics of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Eating behavior is a complex interplay of physiologic, psychological, social, and genetic factors that influence meal timing, quantity of food intake, and food preference. Here we review the current and emerging knowledge of the genetic influences of eating behavior and how these relate to obesity with particular emphasis on the genetics of taste, meal size and selection, and the emerging use of functional magnetic resonance imaging to study neural reactions in response to food stimuli in normal, overweight and obese individuals.