A Pragmatic Outpatient Framework for Appetite‐Related Phenotyping in Obesity

Background Previous obesity phenotyping models have been proposed; however, current protocols rely on complex physiological assessments that are difficult to implement in routine outpatient care. Aim To describe and apply a pragmatic outpatient framework for appetite‐related phenotyping integrating standardized satiety testing and emotional eating assessment. Methods In this observational study, adults with overweight or obesity underwent a standardized mixed‐meal satiety test using visual analogue scales together with emotional eating assessment using the Emotional Eating Questionnaire. Exploratory thresholds were derived from a normal‐weight reference group. Participants were classified into appetite‐related phenotypes: impaired early satiety, impaired late satiety, emotional eating, overlap, and no dominant phenotype. Results A total of 129 adults with overweight or obesity were included. Impaired early satiety was identified in 48.1% of participants, impaired late satiety in 35.7%, and normal satiety responses in 16.3%. Severe emotional eating was present in 12.4% of participants. Overlap between emotional eating and altered satiety‐test responses was identified in 11% of participants. Conclusions Most participants exhibited at least one appetite‐related phenotype, supporting the relevance of assessing both homeostatic (satiety) and emotional dimensions of eating behavior in clinical practice. Future studies should evaluate reproducibility and potential implications for phenotype‐guided obesity treatment.