Nutrient balance and obesity: an approach to control of food intake in humans.

This article has examined the regulated systems that control nutrient balance. From this analysis, the following conclusions may be suggested: 1. Each nutrient is regulated separately in a feedback system. 2. The control of glucose is regulated by the size of the glycogen stores; the size of the fat depots, by the rate of hepatic fatty acid oxidation; and protein, by the size of the protein depots. 3. Obesity can occur as a result of hyperphagia or from repartitioning the deposition of nutrients. In either case, there is a relative or absolute reduction in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, requiring adequate levels of circulating corticosteroids.