Snacking behavior

# What is snacking? Snacking refers to uncontrolled snacking between planned main meals and snacks. Snacking leads to eating constantly rather than regularly. Usually in stressful situations, often as a distraction, out of boredom, out of habit, as a reward or out of social pressure. Reaching for a snack is usually unconscious and uncontrolled. Genetic predisposition also plays a role in snacking behavior. Some genes are involved in appetite regulation, metabolism and the reward system in the brain and can significantly influence our eating behavior. > ## Good to know > > Regardless of your genetic predisposition, you can positively influence your snacking behavior by creating a structured meal plan and raising awareness of your motivation. Intermittent fasting is a recommended method that focuses on the fasting phases between meals and trains your eating behavior in the long term. # Clear daily structure With fixed meal times and a clear daily structure, snacking behavior can be quickly controlled. Fasting periods between meals can reduce blood sugar and insulin levels to a normal level. The digestive tract also benefits from a break of at least four hours between meals. # What Does Genetics Have to Do with It? We are investigating a gene for snacking behavior: The LEPR gene (leptin receptor gene) carries the blueprint for the leptin receptor of the same name in the cells. This binds leptin and is located in a part of the brain that is responsible for controlling hunger and satiety. Leptin comes from the fat cells, whereby the leptin level correlates with the degree of filling of the fat cells. This means that the larger the fat cell, the more leptin is released. The aim of leptin is to control our appetite, which is felt by us through a feeling of hunger or satiety. Therefore, a high leptin level causes satiety and vice versa. - Variant rs2025804 of the leptin receptor gene: The G/G genotype is twice as likely to show a strong increase in snacking behavior. Carriers of this variant consume more than 15 % of their daily calories as snacks between meals. The G/A and A/A genotypes, on the other hand, show normal snacking behavior.