El comportamiento alimentario se establece desde los primeros días de vida y se puede definir como el modo en que una persona se alimenta. Este se ve influenciado por factores biológicos, ambientales y sociales. A su vez, el comportamiento alimentario condiciona la ingesta de alimentos, pudiendo contribuir al desarrollo de enfermedades a lo largo de la vida, tales como la obesidad. Esta revisión tiene como objetivo identificar los hallazgos relativos al efecto del comportamiento alimentario y sus factores determinantes sobre el consumo de alimentos y la aparición de la obesidad en niños. Los diferentes factores que influyen en el comportamiento alimentario y se han incluido en la presente revisión son: genética, sexo, nivel socioeconómico familiar, primeros años (lactancia y alimentación complementaria), estilos parentales y ambiente y acceso a alimentos. Aunque la mayoría de estudios realizados en torno a la obesidad infantil todavía se enfocan principalmente en los factores biológicos y del estilo de vida, también es importante considerar los aspectos relacionados con la conducta alimentaria en la etiología y desarrollo de esta enfermedad. En efecto, los estudios apuntan hacia la necesidad de prestar una atención especial al comportamiento y los estilos parentales, así como a la organización del ambiente alimentario familiar, con el fin de promover un comportamiento alimentario saludable en los niños. En definitiva, nuevas evidencias sobre el comportamiento alimentario, sus factores determinantes y sus consecuencias pueden aclarar su influencia en la obesidad en edad escolar y contribuir a direccionar adecuadamente las recomendaciones a la población para mejorar sus hábitos de vida.

Appetite, as the internal drive for food intake, is often dysregulated in a broad spectrum of conditions associated with over- and under-nutrition across the lifespan. Appetite regulation is a complex, integrative process comprising psychological and behavioral events, peripheral and metabolic inputs, and central neurotransmitter and metabolic interactions. The microbiota-gut-brain axis has emerged as a critical mediator of multiple physiological processes, including energy metabolism, brain function, and behavior. Therefore, the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in appetite and obesity is receiving increased attention. Omics approaches such as genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics in appetite and weight regulation offer new opportunities for featuring obesity phenotypes. Furthermore, gut-microbiota-targeted approaches such as pre-, pro-, post-, and synbiotic, personalized nutrition, and fecal microbiota transplantation are novel avenues for precision treatments. The aim of this narrative review is 1) to provide an overview of the role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in appetite regulation across the lifespan and 2) to discuss the potential of omics and gut microbiota-targeted approaches to deepen understanding of appetite regulation and obesity.

Adolescence is recognized as a time of rapid physiological and behavioral change. In this transition, eating behavior is still being formed and remains an integral part of a person’s lifestyle throughout his or her life. This study aims to assess eating behavior and associations with food intake in European adolescents. We included 2194 adolescents (45.9% boys), aged 12.5 to 17.5 years, from the cross-sectional HELENA study, with two completed 24 h recalls and complete questionnaire data on their eating behavior (Eating Behavior and Weight Problems Inventory for Children- EWI-C). Three subscales of the EWI were evaluated; they measured Strength and motivation to eat (EWI 1), Importance and impact of eating (EWI 2), and Eating as a means of coping with emotional stress (EWI 3). Since these subscales were specially focused on eating behavior, participants were classified as either Low (≤P75) or High (>P75) on each of the subscales. Our results showed a higher consumption of different types of food, in the EWI 1 scales, linked to the hunger and interest in eating, and we observed a relationship with the consumption of energy-dense products. This result was repeated in EWI 3, the subscale linked to emotional eating, where we also found higher consumption of energy-dense products. This study suggests that special features of eating behavior are associated with food intake in adolescents.

Purpose: Eating behaviours influence food intake and long-term eating habits. This study aimed to assess the association between specific eating behaviour traits and the consumption of food and beverage in children aged 3 to 6 years, based on data from the CORAL study. Methods: Data were obtained from the Spanish CORAL study, a 10-year longitudinal cohort including 1407 participants (699 boys, 708 girls; 4.8 ± 1.0 years). Eating behaviours were assessed using the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) and dietary intake was measured using a validated COME-Kids Food and Beverage Frequency Questionnaire. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to identify dietary patterns. Associations were analysed with multivariable linear regression adjusted for covariates. Results: In both sexes, higher Enjoyment of Food scores were associated with greater consumption of fish, fruits, vegetables, pulses, whole grains, and lower consumption of sweets. In contrast, higher Food Fussiness scores were associated with lower consumption of fruits, vegetables, fish, and pulses, and higher intake of sweets. PCA revealed five dietary patterns per sex, explaining 36.62% of the variance in boys and 36.07% in girls. Enjoyment of Food and Food Fussiness were the traits most strongly associated with distinct dietary patterns ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: Eating behaviour traits are clearly associated with diet quality in early childhood. Enjoyment of Food supports healthier eating, while Food Fussiness may compromise it. These findings may inform early prevention strategies to encourage healthy eating habits and reduce the risk of childhood overweight and obesity.

Objective: This study aimed to identify sex‐specific eating behavior profiles and assess the associations between eating behaviors subscales and profiles and body composition indices in Spanish preschoolers from the CORALS cohort. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis of baseline data from 1208 children aged 3–6 years (50.1% girls) from the CORALS cohort. Eating behaviors were assessed using the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ). Sex‐specific latent profile analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys. Associations of CEBQ subscales and profiles with BMI, fat mass index, fat‐free mass index, and waist to height ratio ( z scores) were examined using multiple linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographic variables, energy intake, playing outdoors, and sleep duration. Results: Four eating behavior profiles were identified in both sexes: controlled, avid, typical, and avoidant. Food approach subscales and avid eater profile were positively associated with body composition indices, whereas food avoidance subscales and avoidant and controlled profiles showed inverse associations. Controlled eater profile showed opposite associations with fat‐free mass by sex: positive associations in boys ( β = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.62) but negative in girls ( β = −0.55 95% CI: −0.77, −0.32). Conclusions: Eating behavior profiles were associated with body composition indices similarly in boys and girls, with the exception of the controlled eater profile in relation to fat‐free mass index, for which the association differed by sex. Combining subscale‐level and profile‐level approaches may improve understanding of early eating behavior patterns and their role in body composition development. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06317883 (observational cohort)