Macro partitioning
Obesity can result from an intrinsic metabolic disorder that shifts fuel partitioning toward storage and sequestration in adipose tissue, causing 'internal starvation' and compensatory hyperphagia, independent of excessive energy intake.
This paper argues that for some individuals, obesity is driven by a biological defect in how the body handles fuel (partitioning), not just by eating too much. This biological defect traps energy in fat cells, causing the body to feel starved and triggering hunger. While this explains specific pathological cases in animal models, it suggests that for some humans, treating obesity requires addressing these underlying metabolic shifts rather than just focusing on calorie restriction.
The other perspective attributes the initiating cause of obesity to intrinsic metabolic defects that shift fuel partitioning from pathways for mobilization and oxidation to those for synthesis and storage. The resulting reduction in fuel oxidation and trapping of energy in adipose tissue drives a compensatory increase in energy intake...
Why this rating
Based on extensive evidence from multiple seminal animal models (VMH lesions, ob/ob, db/db, fa/fa) showing fat accumulation despite restricted intake.
Source
Trapped fat: Obesity pathogenesis as an intrinsic disorder in metabolic fuel partitioning
Mark I. Friedman et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2024
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