# Sex-based differences in the neuronal mechanisms of food intake behavior

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2022 · $524,928

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Obesity rates are rapidly rising, as are related health and quality-of-life complications. As such, gaining a better
understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development and maintenance of obesity is critical. Because
diet and eating behaviors are core contributors to weight gain, an improved understanding of these processes
is required. A key variable in these processes that is currently poorly understood is the effect of sex. Sex-
based differences in eating behaviors are consistently observed in both animal and human studies. To date,
however, these differences, and their impact on our understanding of the mechanisms of eating behavior, have
not been well studied. Failure to study sex effects in this context substantially limits our understanding of these
important mechanisms, can result in unnecessary replication of research, and may contribute to problems of
reproducibility in clinical research. As such, investigating sex-specific biological processes will lead to a better
understanding of underlying mechanisms and will be a critical step in understanding how these mechanisms
translate to behavior.
 Sex differences in eating behaviors involve a number of factors, such as gonadal hormones, social
pressures, and physical activity engagement. These factors also interact with neuronal processes involved in
eating behaviors. A clear understanding of sex differences in neuronal mechanisms underlying food intake
behaviors has yet to be established. While previous studies have examined sex differences in neuronal
response to food cues, results have been inconsistent. Disparities may be due to insufficient sample sizes, lack
of menstrual cycle phase consistency, and lack of controlled food intake behavior. Hedonic eating, or eating
beyond homeostatic needs, may be particularly associated with obesity. As such, identifying sex differences in
neurobiology underlying hedonic eating is of particular relevance. To this end, we recently completed a
preliminary investigation of sex differences in neuronal responses to food cues with high (vs. neutral) hedonic
value, in both fasted and fed states. Sex differences were observed in the fasted state, with greater responses
in women than men in the nucleus accumbens and insula, brain regions with prominent roles in food-related
reward processing. This may indicate that women are more sensitive to rewarding aspects of foods when
fasted.
 The overall goal of this application is to expand on our initial findings to better understand sex-based
differences in the neurobiology underlying hedonic eating behaviors and food-based reward processing, how
gonadal hormones contribute to these differences, and how this translates to real-life eating behaviors.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10475709
- **Project number:** 5R01DK119236-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristina T Legget
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $524,928
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-16 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10475709

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10475709, Sex-based differences in the neuronal mechanisms of food intake behavior (5R01DK119236-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10475709. Licensed CC0.

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