[Physiopathology of human obesity]

Our knowledge of hunger and bodyweight regulation is gradually increasing. There are wide interindividual variations in nutritional needs and therefore in susceptibility to gross overweight. Obesity is associated with disturbances in neurosensorial, hormonal and metabolic regulations which are now much better understood. Studies of certain ethnic groups in which obesity is particularly prevalent contribute to the genetic approach to the condition. As in animals, where obesity models correspond to mono- or polygenic transmissions, it is probable that in human beings obesity is a syndrome with multiple causes.