Deficits in gastrointestinal responses controlling food intake and body weight

The gastrointestinal tract serves as a portal sensing incoming nutrients and relays mechanical and chemosensory signals of a meal to higher brain centers. Prolonged consumption of dietary fat causes adaptive changes within the alimentary, metabolic, and humoral systems that promote a more efficient process for energy metabolism from this rich source, leading to storage of energy in the form of adipose tissue. Furthermore, prolonged ingestion of dietary fats exerts profound effects on responses to signals involved in termination of a meal. This article reviews the effects of ingested fat on gastrointestinal motility, hormone release, and neuronal substrates. It focuses on changes in sensitivity to satiation signals resulting from chronic ingestion of high-fat diet, which may lead to disordered appetite and dysregulation of body weight.