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Updated: Jun 22, 2026
04:48
Control of Eating Behavior Using a Novel Feedback System
Published on: May 8, 2018
Endogenous food quality and bodyweight trend
Liqun Liu1, Andrew J Rettenmaier, Thomas R Saving
1Private Enterprise Research Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
Summary
Economic growth and technological advances may slow future bodyweight increases. Individuals are likely to prioritize food quality over quantity as income rises, potentially reversing current trends.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral economics
- Health economics
- Nutritional science
Background:
- Rising global bodyweight is a significant public health concern.
- Previous economic models linked bodyweight to income and food prices.
- Individual choices regarding food intake and quality are key factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze bodyweight as an individual choice influenced by income, food prices, and food quality.
- To investigate the potential for self-limiting trends in bodyweight growth.
- To explore the impact of future economic and technological changes on bodyweight.
Main Methods:
- Economic modeling of individual choices.
- Analysis of income elasticity of demand for food quantity and quality.
- Simulation of technological innovation effects on relative food prices.
Main Results:
- Future income growth is increasingly allocated to improving food quality rather than caloric intake.
- Technological innovations favoring lower prices for high-quality food encourage substitution of quality for quantity.
- These shifts suggest a potential slowdown or reversal of the upward bodyweight trend.
Conclusions:
- Bodyweight trends may be self-limiting due to evolving consumer preferences and technological advancements.
- Shifting focus towards food quality offers a pathway to mitigate rising bodyweight.
- Economic and technological policies can influence dietary choices and public health outcomes.
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