[Food motivation in patients with alimentary obesity]

A total of 150 patients with alimentary obesity, stage I-IV, were investigated. The control group was represented by 60 clinically normal subjects with normal body mass. The state of their food motivation was studied by the questionnaire method and with the aid of figure scale. It has been established that food motivation of obese patients acquires features of a dominant factor in the central nervous system activity, that determines both sharp activation of food behavior under the influence of stress, and effective release of psychoemotional stress after food intake. The degree of food motivation expression in obese patients is subjected to specific diurnal fluctuations with a maximal increase in the evening, thus evidencing peculiarity of diurnal rhythmic activity of the neuroendocrinal system and energy metabolism in alimentary obesity.