The satiety cascade is a conceptual model describing the sequence of physiological and psychological signals that arise during and after eating and that progressively reduce the desire to eat, bringing a meal to an end and delaying the onset of the next one. The satiety cascade frames appetite control as a series of overlapping stages, beginning with sensory and cognitive responses to food (sight, smell, expectations), continuing through gastric and intestinal responses during digestion, and extending to post-absorptive metabolic and hormonal signals.
These integrated signals jointly determine satiation (meal termination and meal size) and post-meal satiety (how long hunger is suppressed before the next eating occasion).
Author and reviewer
Editorial responsibilityHow to cite this entry
Ephi Lu. (2025). Satiety Cascade. In Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology. The Center for Nutritional Psychology.
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