Figure 2

Multilevel model of food intake over time. The control of eating over time involves many different levels of processing as illustrated by the food. The changes at each level before, during and after meals are shown in each column which summarises the episodic and tonic changes over time (moving from top to bottom): A) pleasure cycle, B) the levels of hunger, C) satiation/satiety cascade (sensory, cognitive, post-ingestion and post-absorptive signals), D) origin of signals (gut-brain, oral cavity, stomach and intestines, liver and metabolites and body mass) and signal carriers, E) brain processing, F) behavioural changes including digestive system and G) general modulatory factors (see text for further information) [12].