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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
06:57
Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice
Published on: November 11, 2021
Body energy homeostasis.
Richard E Keesey1, Terry L Powley
1Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, WI, USA.
Appetite
|July 24, 2008
Summary
Body energy regulation is a homeostatic process, balancing food intake and energy expenditure. Recent research identifies new signals and pathways, supporting energy as a regulated feature of the internal environment.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Metabolism
- Homeostasis
Background:
- The concept of homeostasis, as defined by Claude Bernard and Walter Cannon, provides a framework for understanding physiological regulation.
- Early research did not explicitly consider body energy as a regulated aspect of the internal environment (milieu interieur).
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence supporting body energy regulation as a homeostatic process.
- To examine the roles of food intake and energy expenditure in maintaining energy balance.
- To explore newly identified signals and regulatory pathways influencing body energy status.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on energy balance and homeostasis.
- Analysis of research on metabolic underpinnings of energy expenditure.
- Consideration of identified signals and feedback mechanisms in energy regulation.
Main Results:
- Adjustments in energy expenditure play a crucial role in maintaining energy balance.
- Numerous novel signals and their associated pathways regulating body energy status have been identified.
- Naturally occurring and experimentally induced alterations in body energy levels have been described.
Conclusions:
- Recent scientific investigations provide a strong basis for classifying body energy regulation as a homeostatic process.
- The regulation of body energy involves complex interactions between energy intake, expenditure, and signaling pathways.
- Understanding these homeostatic mechanisms is key to addressing alterations in body energy levels.
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