Hyper-palatable foods (HPFs) are food categories distinguished by their highly pleasurable taste and sensory appeal, attributed to their elevated levels of fat, sodium, simple sugars, and carbohydrates. These components contribute to their exceptional satisfaction upon consumption, often resulting in overeating due to their significant reward value.

A condition in which there is an excess of androgens (male sex hormones such as testosterone) in females. It can cause symptoms like excess hair growth, acne, scalp hair thinning, and can contribute to menstrual irregularities and disorders such as PCOS.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the primary neuroendocrine system in the human body that regulates stress response mechanisms (DeMorrow, 2018). It represents the interaction of the hypothalamus with the pituitary and adrenal glands and releases hormones during stress. In this course, the HPA will be discussed as an active component of the MGBA.

The hypothalamus is a region deep within the brain that serves as the body’s control center for maintaining homeostasis. It regulates various physiological processes, including appetite and energy balance, making it a key player in controlling food intake and metabolism.

Immediate gratification refers to the desire for and pursuit of instant pleasure or satisfaction without considering or prioritizing long-term consequences. It involves seeking immediate rewards or benefits rather than delaying gratification for greater but delayed outcomes.

Immune cells are the active components of the immune system and belong to the white blood cell (WBC) category. They provide immunity to the host by protecting them from bacterial and viral infection and destroying the pathogen that enters the body.

The immune system is the complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against foreign invaders such as pathogens and maintain overall health.

Incentive salience is a motivational property assigned by the brain to a stimulus, making it attract  attention of the individual and and ‘wanted’. According to Incentive Salience Theory of Addiction, this wanting is independent of whether the person likes the stimulus.

Incentive Sensitization is a theory proposing that repeated exposure to a rewarding stimulus—such as drugs or palatable food—leads to enhanced sensitivity of the brain’s dopaminergic systems to associated cues. This heightened sensitivity results in the exaggerated attribution of incentive salience, meaning that these cues become increasingly attention-grabbing and “wanted,” even if the actual hedonic pleasure (“liking”) derived from the reward remains the same or diminishes.

Incretins are gut-derived hormones released in response to food intake and are primarily responsible for metabolic functions such as stimulating insulin secretion and maintaining glucose homeostasis (Saini et al., 2015).