Hyperpalatable food

Hyperpalatable foods combined in a cheeseburger

Hyperpalatable food (HPF) combines high levels of fat, sugar, sodium, and/or carbohydrates to trigger the brain's reward system, encouraging excessive eating.[1] The concept of hyperpalatability is foundational to ultra-processed foods, which are usually engineered to have enjoyable qualities of sweetness, saltiness, or richness.[2] Hyperpalatable foods can stimulate the release of metabolic, stress, and appetite hormones that play a role in cravings and may interfere with the body's ability to regulate appetite and satiety.[3][4]

  1. ^ Fazzino, Tera L.; Rohde, Kaitlyn; Sullivan, Debra K. (2019-11-01). "Hyper-palatable foods: Development of a quantitative definition and application to the US Food System Database". Obesity. 27 (11): 1761–1768. doi:10.1002/oby.22639. hdl:1808/29721. ISSN 1930-7381. PMID 31689013. S2CID 207899275.
  2. ^ Monteiro, Carlos A.; Cannon, Geoffrey; Levy, Renata B; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Louzada, Maria L. C.; Rauber, Fernanda; Khandpur, Neha; Cediel, Gustavo; Neri, Daniela; Martinez-Steele, Euridice; Baraldi, Larissa G.; Jaime, Patricia C. (2019). "Ultra-processed foods: What they are and how to identify them". Public Health Nutrition. 22 (5): 936–941. doi:10.1017/S1368980018003762. ISSN 1368-9800. PMC 10260459. PMID 30744710.
  3. ^ Bellitti, Joseph S.; Rohde, Kaitlyn; Fazzino, Tera L. (2023-12-01). "Motives and food craving: Associations with frequency of hyper-palatable food intake among college students". Eating Behaviors. 51: 101814. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2023.101814. ISSN 1471-0153. PMID 37729846. S2CID 262024167.
  4. ^ Avena, Nicole M; Gold, Mark S (2011-08-01). "Variety and hyperpalatability: Are they promoting addictive overeating?". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 94 (2): 367–368. doi:10.3945/ajcn.111.020164. PMID 21715513.