Research
Hormonal
Obesity is fundamentally driven by a disruption in energy balance, mediated by central nervous system resistance to leptin and insulin, and dysregulation of the reward system.
Obesity involves biological resistance to satiety signals (leptin/insulin) and reward dysregulation, meaning willpower alone is often insufficient. Medical interventions that bypass or enhance these signals are often necessary.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
There are many different factors contributing to obesity’s development, but a long-lasting disruption in energy balance with caloric intake exceeding expenditure is considered to be a major cause... In obese patients, data show the formation of low-grade inflammation within the CNS, as well as increased resistance to leptin [46].
Why this rating
Review of established physiological mechanisms.
Source
Molecular Mechanisms behind Obesity and Their Potential Exploitation in Current and Future Therapy
Michał Nicze et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2024
DOI 10.3390/ijms25158202
narrative_reviewCited 19×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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