Research
Hormonal
Obese individuals may exhibit a heightened sensitivity or responsivity to the palatability of food, particularly fatty and sweet foods, compared to lean individuals.
If you are obese, you might find highly palatable foods (especially high-fat/sweet) more rewarding than lean people do. This 'sensitization' can drive overeating. Managing your environment to reduce exposure to these hyper-palatable foods may be more effective than relying on willpower.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Differential responsivity to palatability may be a component of the obese phenotype, perhaps through sensitisation of the neural structures related to hedonic aspects of eating... The fatter the subjects, the greater their ratings of pleasantness for the fatty foods.
Why this rating
Based on correlational studies and twin studies, showing association but not definitive causation.
Source
Palatability: response to nutritional need or need-free stimulation of appetite?
Martin R. Yeomans et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2004
DOI 10.1079/bjn20041134
narrative_reviewCited 283×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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