Set points for body weight and fat.

This paper analyzes the use of the term “set point” for body weight or body fat. Three different uses are distinguished: as a description of experimental findings, as reflecting adaptive value or biological functions of fat, and as implying a particular type of control system with a reference signal. The evidence supporting the use of the term set point in these three senses is considered. Data from experiments on food restriction, overfeeding, hypothalamic lesions, weight changes in hibernators, and lipidectomy are discussed. Examples are taken from species other than the usual laboratory animals when these illustrate the issues more strongly. Comparisons are also made with the use of set point in studies on thermoregulation. It is concluded that the term set point can be valuable in the descriptive, the functional, and the control system sense but is liable to confuse issues if it is not made clear in which sense it is being used.

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