Appetite

Under appetite (from Latin appetitus cibi " desire for food " ) refers to a mental state, which is characterized by the lustful embossed desire to eat something in particular, is characterized. He differs as a psychological phenomenon of the physiological primarily feeling of hunger. The opposite of appetite for a food is disgust.

Neurobiology of appetite

In the hunger center of the lateral hypothalamus regulate neurohormones, especially serotonin, hunger, satiety hormones such as cholecystokinin during exercise in the satiety center in the ventromedial nuclei of the hypothalamus in control of the saturation. The appetite, however, arises in the limbic system.

Due to the appetite, it is possible to want to ( further ) eat, even if you are not hungry (more) has, since the appetite is not controlled by the hunger center in the hypothalamus. For the same reason, it is also possible to want a specific food despite hunger not eat.

Appetite versus hunger

The real feeling of hunger is unpleasant to painful and far less picky than appetite: hunger is the need to eat anything to fill you up. Cravings are caused by contractions of the empty stomach, but especially by lowering the glucose level and changes in the thermal and lipid metabolism.

Unlike the appetite: As a cognitive- motivational phenomenon he is strongly influenced by the sensory perceptions. Sensory factors such as appearance, odor, taste, temperature and texture of food play an important role here.

Also carries a wide variety of foods, such as a buffet, help to promote appetite, regardless of the saturation. Appetite helps many people to the fact that they eat much more than would be necessary for saturation.

Medical Evaluation

Appetite is interpreted by some doctors as the body's craving for certain nutrients to be supplied by certain foods.

Appetite for non-edible substances normally considered as behavioral or eating disorder and is called in medicine pica.

Food preferences

The taste preference for sweet is innate, as well as the aversion to the taste bitter. Even breast milk tastes slightly sweet and may contribute to a lifelong fondness for sweets and Fatty. Salty taste can be recognized by infants from the fourth month of life and then is also preferred. In addition, food preferences are acquired socially and culturally influenced, for example, bitter-tasting beverages such as beer and coffee. Also, the preference for chocolate is not equally strong in each country. In the U.S. and in German-speaking Chocolate is extremely popular with all ages, in Spain, this candy plays, however, a much smaller role.

Craving for unusual food combinations such as herring with jam occur, for example in women during pregnancy, the appetite is affected by the hormonal changes. Bouts of overeating also have less to do with hunger than with psychologically induced Essgelüsten.

The flavor was called umami by Japanese researchers for the first time in 1908 and is achieved by the food additive monosodium glutamate. This flavor comes in a weaker form, however, also naturally in foods before that contain protein, including in breast milk. Hence the preference for umami applies in research now than innate; the food industry uses these appetite only by seasons diverse products accordingly.

Also, smell and color of food shown to influence appetite and awaken certain positive or negative associations. Become familiar foods differently colored, lets the appetite for it after in most people. Blue calls, for example, with most food no great appetite forth and is therefore rarely used as an artificial dye. Experiments with gummy bears have shown that the different colors are associated with different flavors - but blindfolded subjects could not detect any differences in taste.

Solve the unknown food is generally less appetite than known. This effect is called " neophobia ". Neophobia is probably due to the fact that the inclusion of new, unknown food is risky because unfamiliar foods can be toxic. The neophobia and the consequent denial of a new food can, however, change by exposure, so the experience with the new food.

It is essential for the appetite but is mainly the consistency of a food. Properties like " slimy ", " mushy " or sticky generated above-average frequency disgust with the participants.

Others

A drug that suppresses the increased secretion of the hormone serotonin hunger for hours against the colloquial name is not an appetite suppressant, but de facto a hunger suppressor.

In German there are many regional and dialectal expressions for appetite to have something. Thus one speaks

• In Bavaria, Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol from Glust on me glust 's on something in the Badische of Gluschd for something or the Swabian a Glischdn to have sth ( etymologically to " lust ", "pleasure" ), or alternatively by a Guster to Guster on wos hom
• North German (especially in the Bremen area) of Jipper on something
• In the Rhenish Zips on something
• Have in the Westphalian of a give up something or even from Schmacht

Swell

• Human nutrition