Tarchi Livio, Merola Giuseppe Pierpaolo, Maiolini Gaia, D'Areglia Eleonora, Ricca Valdo, Castellini Giovanni
Psychiatry Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
Nutr Health. 2025 Mar;31(1):9-14. doi: 10.1177/02601060241307104. Epub 2024 Dec 18.
BackgroundRestrictive eating behaviors, widespread in humans and animals, are often conceptualized as maladaptive, but may serve adaptive purposes under specific circumstances.AimTo investigate the adaptive potential of restrictive eating behaviors.MethodsComputational models explored the relationship between food availability, basal metabolic rate, and restrictive eating behaviors. The evolutionary conservation of genes associated with both basal metabolic rate and restrictive eating behaviors was evaluated.ResultsThe propensity to engage in restrictive eating behaviors protected against negative energy balances at times of food volatility, implying ecological fitness potential. A high degree of conservation across species was observed in retrieved genes, implying selective evolutionary constraints.ConclusionRestrictive eating behaviors may represent a maladaptive outcome of evolutionary constraints on protective metabolic mechanisms. The higher prevalence of restrictive eating in women could stem from a greater reliance on protective strategies, highlighting the need for further exploration of sex-specific genetic and environmental interactions.
背景
限制性饮食行为在人类和动物中普遍存在，通常被认为是适应不良的，但在特定情况下可能具有适应性目的。
目的
研究限制性饮食行为的适应潜力。
方法
计算模型探讨了食物可获得性、基础代谢率和限制性饮食行为之间的关系。评估了与基础代谢率和限制性饮食行为相关基因的进化保守性。
结果
在食物波动时期，进行限制性饮食行为的倾向可防止负能量平衡，这意味着具有生态适应潜力。在所检索的基因中观察到跨物种的高度保守性，这意味着存在选择性进化限制。
结论
限制性饮食行为可能代表了对保护性代谢机制进化限制的适应不良结果。女性中限制性饮食的较高患病率可能源于对保护策略的更大依赖，这突出了进一步探索性别特异性基因和环境相互作用的必要性。
