ABSTRACT
The.role.of.orosensory.factors.(OSF).in.eating.behavior.is.pivotal.to.the.adaptation. of.an.organism.to.its.nutritional.environment..They.must.provide.reliable.information.on.the.most.beneficial.selection.and.amount.of.food.to.ingest..If.a.given.food.(a. mix.of.macro.and.micronutrients).has.proved.to.be.appropriate,.then.OSF.associated. with.this.food.will.be.considered.as.pleasant.and.the.food.will.be.sought,.selected,. and.consumed.when.the.need.to.eat.recurs..Actually,.as.we.will.see,.the.conditioned. processes.underlying.the.adaptive.function.of.eating.behavior.can.sometimes.lead. to. inconsistent. results. and.have.produced.difficulties. in. the. interpretation.of.data. gathered.in.animals.and.in.humans..This.emphasizes.that.we.have.to.be.careful.in. inferring.the.effects.of.OSF.on.eating.behavior.and.on.energy.homeostasis.and.adiposity.level..Moreover,.experimental.tools.are.few,.but.vary.among.authors.working. in.this.field.of.research..In.the.present.chapter,.we.will.focus.on.the.relation.between. OSF.and. the.different.events. involved. in.eating.behavior.as.observed. in.humans.. Problems.of.terminology,.methodology,.and.relevance.of.observation.in.free-living. situations.will.be.raised.when.necessary.
