Discuss biological explanations of one eating disorder

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  • Created by: rachel247
  • Created on: 15-05-15 14:40
What is the hypothalamus and what has it been identified with?
A brain structure and playing the central role in the regulation of eating
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What does the neural explanation of obesity focus on?
The faulty functioning of the hypothalamus
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What does the VMH act as in a person without obesity?
It acts as a satiety centre, telling them they're full
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What could a faulty VMH lead to?
Obesity
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What hormone has been linked to obesity?
Leptin
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What is leptin?
A hormone produced by far cells in the stomach
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What does leptin influence?
The POMC and NPY neurons which regulate appetite
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What does a lack of leptin lead to?
Obesity
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How does Reeves and Plum support the neural mechanisms of obesity?
They conducted a post-mortem on an obese female, finding her VMH had been destroyed
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How can you critisise the leptin theory?
leptin injections that have been given to obese people for treatment have only workedon a minority
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What is the IDA that can critisise the Neurological explantions of obesity?
the majority of research has been done on mice, making the findings dificult to generalise to humans as humans and mice are biologically differe and so makes the research hard to genralise
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What is the hormone insluin associated with?
the storage and use of energy
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what is linked to being insulin resistant?
obesity
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Why does insulin resistance occur?
due to genetic factors
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How is the hormone cortisol linked to obesity?
individuals with high cortisol levels tend to overeat, leading to weight increase ad eventually obesity
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How do Kahn and Flier support hormonal factors for obesity?
found individuals who were insulin resistant ate large amounts of junk food, which has high glycemic value
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Where has there been an increase in obesity and diabetes?
in the UK and USA
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How does Epen et al support the role of cortisol and overeating?
as females with high cortisol levels overeat sweet foods
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How is the IDA of Cause and Effect a problem in the hormonal explanation?
it's difficult to establish the cause and effect as for example, is it high cortisol levels leading to obesity or is it obesity causing the high release of cortisol
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How is the IDA of Cultural Differences a problem in the hormonal explanation?
they aren't taken into account as hormones drive all humans then these should be the reason for obesoy globally however it's maily a western problem
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What does the evolutionary explanation of obesity suggest?
the tendancy to be overweight and store excess body fat could have ben adaptive in our ancestral past
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What has much of our past been characterised by and what can be assumed by this?
a relative lack of food, and so the tendancy to store fat would have been functional in a world where food was often in short supply
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How is the Thrifty Gene hypothesis argued by James Neel?
over thousands of years individuals who were eey efficient in terms of burning off excess energy amd remainingthin would have been less successful although this is the opposite in te 21st century
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According to the thrifty gene hypothesis what have we got left in todays world?
those who were best adapted to surviving hash winters and floods, resulting in food shportages and periods of famine
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Now that food is plentiful what does this mean for those who have adapted?
these people overaet, become obese and develop health problems such as type 2 diabetes
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Why are humans more vulnerable to eating foods that were not part pf their evolutionary past?
they do not trigger neural mechanisms that contol appetite resulting in obesity
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How does DiMeglio and Mates support that we may be more vulnerable to foods that aren't in our evolutionary past?
they found that participantswhoweegiven liquid calories rather that an equal amount ofsolidcalories put on more weight because humans aren't shaped to cope with them
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what do DiMeglio ad maes say liquid calories stimulate?
leptin and insulin production that normally act to regulate eating therefore leading to weight gain
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How can the idea that high levels of liquid calories leads to obesity be critisised?
obesity has also risen in countries whereliquid calories are not commonly used so there must be another explanation for obesity
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Explain how the evolutionary explanation for obesity is reductionist?
it only concentrates on physiological factors and ignores other factors such as stress, culture and economic factors for obesity
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What does the neural explanation of obesity focus on?

Back

The faulty functioning of the hypothalamus

Card 3

Front

What does the VMH act as in a person without obesity?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What could a faulty VMH lead to?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What hormone has been linked to obesity?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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