Eating behavior and obesity of women: estrogens and anorexigenic effect of estradiol

Abstract

Eating behavior is a complex interaction of physiological, psychological, social, and genetic factors that affect the time of eating, the amount of food consumed, and food preferences. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the world and it is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. According to an analysis of 20 prospective studies, the years of life lost due to obesity have now exceeded the years of life lost due to smoking. The epidemic of obesity in the world determines the relevance of research aimed at identifying the factors that contribute to the emergence of this pathological condition. We studied mainly foreign literature on the effect of estrogens on women’s eating behavior and the physiology of adipose tissue. After puberty, women are at greater risk of developing eating disorders than men, possibly due to a more labile psyche. Estrogens contribute to the accumulation of subcutaneous fat, and low estrogen level in menopausal women contributes to an increase in the amount of visceral fat. It is believed that the anorectic effects of estrogens are mediated by the central nervous system, this statement is based on the fact that direct injections of estradiol into the paraventricular nucleus or the arcuate/ventromedial nucleus are most effective for reducing food intake, body weight and increasing motor activity. There is every reason to believe that further clinical, women-focused studies that provide a better understanding of the intracellular signaling pathways responsible for the estrogenic control of food intake will provide new insights into the mechanisms responsible for the greater prevalence of obesity and eating disorders in women.