Energy homeostasis from Lavoisier to control theory.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative historical review and theoretical mathematical modeling without new empirical human data
PubMed 37482775 · doi:10.1098/rstb.2022.0201
What was done
The author reviewed the intellectual history of energy homeostasis from 18th-century calorimetry through 20th-century homeostatic and lipostatic models, and evaluated body-weight regulation using a parameterized control-theory mathematical model.
What was found
The abstract reports no empirical clinical or experimental data with numbers. The parameterized control-theory model indicated that a proportional negative-feedback control system only incompletely compensates for weight loss during persistent negative energy balance, challenging the classical concept of strict homeostatic regulation within a narrow envelope.
Why it matters
It applies engineering control theory to metabolic physiology, offering a formal framework to explain why biological feedback fails to completely prevent weight shifts during prolonged energy imbalance.
Limits
The paper is a narrative review and theoretical simulation presenting no primary human trial or observational data. The parameterized model simplifies complex, multi-layered neuroendocrine regulation into idealized feedback control loops.