Research
Energy balance
Aging in healthy men impairs the subconscious regulation of food intake, preventing compensatory hypophagia after overfeeding and hyperphagia after underfeeding, leading to persistent weight gain or loss.
As you age, your body's automatic ability to adjust hunger after overeating or undereating diminishes. You may not feel hungrier after a diet, nor full after a feast. To maintain weight, you must rely on conscious dietary habits rather than relying on your body's natural hunger signals to self-correct.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
The results in 35 men suggest that aging may be associated with a significant impairment in the ability to control food intake following overeating or undereating.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with metabolic ward controls, but small sample size (n=35) and short duration.
Source
Control of Food Intake in Older Men
Susan B. Roberts · JAMA · 1994
DOI 10.1001/jama.1994.03520200057036
crossover · n=35Cited 397×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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