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Physiology of Eating
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:40:34
Abstract
Introduction to the basic knowledge necessary for an understanding of the physiology and pathology of hunger, satiety, and body weight control, how this knowledge is generated, and how it helps improve nutritional advice for healthy people as well as nutritional guidelines for patients.
Objective
This course requires basic knowledge in physiology and is designed to build on course HE03 “Selected Topics in Physiology Related to Nutrition.” The course covers psychological and physiological determinants of food selection and amount eaten. The aim is to introduce the students to (a) the basic knowledge necessary for an understanding of the physiology and pathology of hunger, satiety, and body weight control, (b) how new scientific knowledge in this area is generated, (c) how this basic knowledge helps improve nutritional advice for healthy people as well as nutritional guidelines for patients. Major topics are: Basic scientific concepts for the physiological study of eating in animals and humans; the psychopharmacology of reward; endocrine and metabolic controls of eating; the neural control of eating; psychological aspects of eating; eating behavior and energy balance; exercise, eating and body weight; popular diets and their evaluation; epidemiology, clinical features and the treatment of psychiatric eating disorders; epidemiology, clinical features and the treatment of obesity, including related aspects of non-insulin dependent diabetes; mechanisms of cachexia and anorexia during illness; exogenous factors that influence eating, including pharmaceutical drugs, alcohol, coffee, etc.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Handouts will be provided
Literature
Literature will be discussed in class
Learning Materials (Links)
- Main link
- Handouts
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC , MSC , NDS
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- end-of-semester examination
- Digital
- The exam takes place on devices provided by ETH Zurich.
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture | Physiology of Eating |
|
2 h weekly |