Hypothalamic Control of Food Intake and Body Weight

Abstract Food intake is regulated by the brain, wherein the hypothalamus plays an essential role. The expression of various appetite‐regulating peptides and specific hypothalamic circuitry allows a complex interplay of multiple nuclei in control of energy balance. The major centres involved are the arcuate nucleus, paraventricular nucleus, lateral hypothalamic area, dorsomedial hypothalamus and the ventromedial hypothalamus. Interrelationships between these centres provide tight homeostatic regulation of body weight.