I know of this study, I came across on gnolls.org:

International Journal of Obesity (2010) 34, 1070–1077;

published online 9 February 2010 Effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women

“After 26 weeks, compared with the placebo group, the MMS group had significantly lower BW [body weight], BMI, FM [fat mass], TC and LDL-C, significantly higher REE [resting energy expenditure] and HDL-C, as well as a borderline significant trend of lower RQ [respiratory quotient] (P=0.053) and WC [waist circumference] (P=0.071). The calcium group also had significantly higher HDL-C and lower LDL-C levels compared with the placebo group.”

He linked to fatfiction.co.uk, which might be of interest to you:

The body’s hunger signals are a cry for nutrients. Sure that can be a hunger for energy (calories), but more often than not it's vitamins, mineral, essential fats or protein. And this hunger will drive you to find those nutrients, even if it means putting on extra weight to find them. It means obesity and all the related diseases like type 2 diabetes, various cancers, gallstones (see D Day) and many more are due to long-term deficiencies in nutrients, be they vitamins, minerals, carbs, protein or fats.

He talks about the well known historic vitamin deficiency epidemics which occured still until the beginning of the 20. century, millions died of vitamin deficiency without knowing the cause. Vitamins were first broadly discovered around 1910-1940.

Famous is the beri-beri outbreak in the late 1800's when polished rice became widespread, people didn't know that there are tiny things in food which prevent disease.

In the early 1900s hundreds of thousands died of Pellagra, due to consumption of corn, which lacks niacin if not properly prepared.

In 1959, industrial production techniques made white flour cheaper and so more popular than whole grain. White flour is not only lacking nutrients, it actively absorbs them, and can damage your GI tract, which prevents you absorbing minerals in other foods. People would have died of diseases caused by the absence of essential vitamins and minerals but they didn't this time.

Instead, this time around, food was cheap and plentiful, so instead people ate until their bodies told them they had all the nutrients they needed, which happened to be several thousand calories later. And so they get fat. So instead, people are now dying of obesity-related illnesses like type 2 diabetes and CVD diseases. Obesity is a disease caused by nutritional deficiency too.

In the late 1970s, US & UK governments recommended people to stop eating saturated fat, and more grain. Manufacturers replaced fat with sugar, which also strips nutrients. Which means you need to eat more just to survive.

White flour and sugar - that's all you need to turn a nation obese.

He calls it the deficiency theory and you can find some info in his site.

He reports that animals also become fatter these days. What about soil depletion as a major factor in mineral deficiency besides poor diet?

"A declining soil fertility, due to a lack of organic material, major elements, and trace minerals, is responsible for poor crops and in turn for pathological conditions in animals fed deficient foods from such soils, and that mankind is no exception. NPK formulas, as legislated and enforced by State Departments of Agriculture, mean malnutrition, attack by insects, bacteria and fungi, weed takeover, crop loss in dry weather, and general loss of mental acuity in the population, leading to degenerative metabolic disease and early death." -Dr. William A. Albrecht, Chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri

"In the future, we will not be able to rely anymore on our premise that the consumption of a varied balanced diet will provide all the essential trace elements, because such a diet will be very difficult to obtain for millions of people." - Dr. Walter Mertz, U.S. Department of Agriculture, told to congress in 1977.

Percentage of Average Mineral Depletion From Soil During The Past 100 Years (1992 Earth Summit Statistics): North America 85%, South America 76%, Asia 76%, Africa 74%, Europe 72%, Australia 55%.

My personal experience with eating nutrient dense food is very positive. Since frequent consumption of liver, raw egg yolks, no junk food and taking a multivitamin/mineral I don't feel this kind of deep hunger anymore. I am calm. I can go without food for a long period of time and when I eat it is more of something like replenishing my body than a necessity. It is subtle but something has changed. May be due to the lack of carbs and addictive foods, though. But directly after eating liver I feel indeed a greater satiation, it not comparable with the satiation from "normal" foods.

I think it's quite likely- and what's even worse, is that our vegetables have been plummeting in nutrition for 50 years or so as well, so even if you try to eat well, you're still likely facing a disadvantage.

Yes, I believe so.

I love questions like this ....pondering these issues and opening them up to the community eventually lead to solid answers when the right people either pick it up and do the research, or use their expertise to connect the dots of existing knowledge, so to speak.

Personally, I feel more satiated and calm eating more fat - bacon, coconut oil, eggs primarily. I think in my case it's a combibation of the energy properties of fat - slower burning leading to steadier levels, no sugar implications in the fat to mess around with hunger levels AND the fat soluble vitamins in fattier food. These factors combined mean I'm not looking around for more food inappropriately as it's just not necessary.

Supplements taken religiously make my appetite plummet, I take:

K2 CLO Alpha lipoic acid Tocotrienols. selenium

I've never read anything close to that, and I do a lot of reading. But it seems entirely possible, even it is is 'bro-science'. I'll bet you could sell a bunch of books with that approach.

I have started obsessively checking the micronutrients in the food I eat. It is ridiculous how little nutrients were in my diet for 40+ years. Since eating better I feel way better and labs prove increase in vitality.

Good job!