Your diet influences your skin and well-being: discover your dietary phenotype and how to balance it with nutricosmetics

Introduction ​

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to eat without gaining weight, while others struggle to control hunger or cravings? Or why some feel an uncontrollable urge to snack when they're stressed, sad, or bored? The answer may lie in what we now know as eating behavior phenotypes .

Identifying your eating type can help you better understand your relationship with food, your difficulties losing weight or staying in shape, and even certain aspects of your skin health. In this article, we want to delve a little deeper into the four main eating phenotypes : Emotional Eater , Hungry Brain , Hungry Gut , and Slow Burn , and how they influence your overall well-being.

This model was proposed by researchers at the Mayo Clinic , led by Dr. Andres Acosta and Dr. Michael Camilleri , with the goal of understanding why different people respond so differently to food, diets, and weight-loss treatments. Through clinical studies, they identified four common profiles that explain both food cravings and how the body processes and responds to nutrients.

1. What are eating behavior phenotypes?

Eating behavior phenotypes are patterns that describe how we react to food, what biological and psychological mechanisms drive us to eat, and how our bodies process what we ingest. These profiles have been identified by recent research in the fields of personalized nutrition, endocrinology, and the psychology of eating behavior.

Unlike general diets, the phenotype-based approach allows for personalized nutritional strategies and supplementation tailored to individual needs. This can improve not only body composition, but also aspects such as emotional balance, energy levels, digestion, and, of course, skin appearance.

2. Why is it important to know your profile as a diner?

Knowing which phenotype you belong to can be key to:

· Choose the diet that best suits your metabolism.

· Controlling emotional hunger or binge eating.

· Improve adherence to a healthy lifestyle.

· Select effective supplements.

· Supporting skin health and beauty from within , by modulating oxidative stress, inflammation, and hormonal imbalances.

Furthermore, this classification allows for a better understanding of the obstacles many people encounter on their path to well-being: from difficulty losing fat to the tendency to retain fluids, accumulate abdominal fat, or experience mental fatigue.

3. The 4 phenotypes: definition and characteristics

1. Emotional Eater

This profile is characterized by eating in response to negative emotions (stress, anxiety, sadness, boredom) or positive ones (reward, celebration). It's the typical case of someone who, having a bad day, seeks comfort in food, especially in high-calorie and comforting products.

Main features:

· High impulsivity and difficulty stopping eating.

·  Seeking immediate pleasure.

·  Elevated cortisol levels and alterations of the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis.

· Tendency towards nighttime or compulsive eating .

·  Often linked to mood disorders or low self-esteem.

2. Hungry Brain

This phenotype is related to an alteration in the satiety signal . In other words, the brain does not correctly receive the information that we have eaten enough, leading to consuming more than necessary without feeling full.

Main features:

· Delayed or absent satiety.

·  High caloric density in meals.

· Low sensitivity to hormones such as leptin or insulin.

• Associated with unstructured eating patterns.

· It can coexist with attention problems or mental stress.

3. Hungry Gut

This profile is related to rapid gastric emptying or a low intestinal hormonal response , which causes hunger to appear shortly after eating.

Main features:

• Frequent hunger, even after eating recently.

· Imbalances in the secretion of ghrelin, GLP-1 and peptide YY.

• Rapid or irregular digestion.

· Often accompanied by intestinal dysbiosis .

· High sensitivity to simple carbohydrates.

4. Slow Burn (Slow Metabolism)

This type of person has a lower basal metabolic rate, meaning they expend less energy at rest . Sometimes they feel as though they gain weight "just by looking at food."

Main features:

· Tendency to store fat, especially visceral fat.

· Low tolerance to refined carbohydrates.

· Poor response to standard low-calorie diets.

·  Fatigue, mental slowness, or persistent cold.

· Often associated with thyroid imbalances or insulin resistance.  

4. How does each phenotype affect digestive, metabolic, and skin health?

Although phenotypes focus on eating behavior, their effects extend to many other areas:

This holistic approach is key in new generation nutricosmetics , which not only focuses on the exterior, but also seeks to optimize the internal mechanisms that influence skin health.

5. Personalized strategies according to phenotype

Adapting lifestyle and supplementation to each phenotype can make all the difference:

For Emotional Eaters :

·  Prioritize stress management techniques: mindfulness, journaling, moderate exercise.

·  Consume foods rich in tryptophan and magnesium.

· Adaptogenic supplements such as ashwagandha KSM-66 , to modulate the stress axis.

·  Avoid sugar and ultra-processed foods.

For Hungry Brain :

·  Eat slowly, chew more, avoid distractions.

• Prioritize meals rich in fiber and protein.

· Use smaller plates and visual restraint techniques.

· Evaluate possible hormonal dysfunctions.

For Hungry Gut :

· Introduce prebiotics and probiotics.

· Increase soluble fiber (chia, oats, flax).

· Eat smaller portions if necessary.

· Consider supplementation with natural GLP-1.

For Slow Burn :

· Diets low in refined carbohydrates.

· Strength and thermogenic exercise.

· Supplements that activate metabolism: green tea, L-carnitine.

· Monitor thyroid function and vitamin D levels.

6. Nutricosmetics and appetite regulation: the role of Ashwagandha KSM-66

Ashwagandha , and in particular the extract  The patented and clinically studied KSM-66 has proven to be one of the most effective natural ingredients for modulating chronic stress, improving the relationship with food, and helping to restore hormonal balance .

Key benefits of ashwagandha KSM-66:

· It reduces cortisol , the stress hormone, directly involved in emotional eating.

· It improves sleep quality, which is essential for regulating appetite.

·  It helps control anxiety and compulsive impulses.

·  It promotes physical performance and metabolic energy.

· It can support visceral fat loss in combination with healthy habits.

This ingredient has positioned itself as one of the great promises in nutraceuticals focused on eating behavior, weight control and overall skin health , since by reducing oxidative stress and systemic inflammation, it also visibly improves the skin's appearance.

If you have an Emotional Eater , Hungry Brain , or even Slow Burn profile, a supplement with KSM-66 ashwagandha can be an excellent ally.

7. Is it possible to change phenotype?

Although these profiles have a biological basis, they are not static . Thanks to epigenetics, healthy habits, a tailored diet, and proper supplementation, it is possible to modify the expression of certain physiological responses.

For example, someone with an Emotional Eater profile can learn to better manage stress and modulate their reward response. Or a person with a slow metabolism can activate their thermogenesis and regulate their hormone levels.

The first step is self-knowledge , followed by a personalized strategy, and of course, consistency.

8. Conclusions

Eating behavior phenotypes offer a revolutionary and practical perspective for understanding our eating patterns, weight, and well-being. Beyond simply counting calories, this approach focuses on how and why we eat .

The combination of nutritional education, emotional management and advanced nutricosmetics (such as KSM-66 ashwagandha) allows us to act effectively and safely on multiple levels: metabolism, digestion, appetite control, mental health and skin beauty.