[Dietary behavior during obesity].

Human alimentary behavior deals with a threefold need: energetic, hedonic and sociocultural. Among the clinical constellation offered by obese patients it could be worthwile to distinguish: 1. Some constitutional and organic obesities, pathogenesis of which does not imply an abnormality of alimentary behavior; 2. Conversely, in some other cases, psychological induced behavioral abnormalities are able to lead to an overstepping of the so called "normal" weight; 3. In other instances, the alimentary behavior reflects the elevation of the set point for weight. All these mechanisms are mutally reinforcing and could act simultaneously or successively accounting for the great variability of the individual situations. In any case environmental conditions are operating and play a pathogenic role more especially as the anatomic, physiologic and psychologic background is predisposed.