Polyphagia

DEFINITION
Increased food intake

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Failure to assimilate or loss of nutrients (e.g., maldigestion/malabsorption syndromes such as EPI)
Inability to use nutrients (e.g., diabetes mellitus, poor quality diets, GI parasites)
Hypoglycemia (e.g., insulinoma, insulin overdose)
Increased metabolic rate or demand (e.g., hyperthyroidism, cold environments, pregnancy, lactation)
Psychologic or learned behaviors (e.g., palatable diets, competition, drugs such as anticonvulsants or glucocorticoids)