Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Appetite

Appetite is the desire to eat, a complex drive that governs when, what, and how much an individual consumes and that plays a central role in nutrition and overall health. It is regulated by an intricate interplay of physiological and psychological factors, including hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, and insulin, sig…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 29× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2379-7835 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Appetite is the desire to eat, a complex drive that governs when, what, and how much an individual consumes and that plays a central role in nutrition and overall health. It is regulated by an intricate interplay of physiological and psychological factors, including hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, and insulin, signals from the gut and adipose tissue, neurotransmitters and brain circuits in the hypothalamus, and external influences such as food availability, sensory cues, emotion, and habit. Appetite differs from hunger, the physical need for energy, in that it also encompasses anticipation and pleasure associated with food. Disruptions in appetite regulation contribute to conditions such as obesity, undernutrition, and eating disorders, making it a key focus of nutritional science. Research relevant to this topic in the International Journal of Nutrition includes work on non-caloric sweeteners in people with type 2 diabetes, dietary diversity and nutritional status among pregnant adolescents, complementary feeding practices, the management of severe acute malnutrition, and the relationship between nutrition and the gut microbiota, reflecting the journal's broad coverage of dietary intake, nutritional status, and metabolic health. This page gathers peer-reviewed, open-access research relevant to appetite and human nutrition.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 29 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Appetite, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in International Journal of Nutrition (ISSN 2379-7835).

Journal editorial board
Kadri Koppel · United States Alicja Kuban-Jankowska · Poland Luigia Pazzagli · Italy

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.