What is leptin and how it makes you eat more and gain weight

What is leptin

LeptinM. D. Klok, S. Jakobsdottir, M. L. Drent. The role of leptin and ghrelin in the regulation of food intake and body weight in humans: a review / Obesity Reviews Is a hormone released from adipose tissue, suppressing appetite and promoting weight loss. In other words, it sends the message to the brain: "Stop eating, it's time to spend fat reserves."

Normal production of this hormone helps maintain a stable weight, not counting calories and energy costs. Lack of leptin increases appetite and contributes to a set of extra pounds. And excess reduces the body's sensitivity to the hormone, can cause inflammation and metabolic disturbances.

How leptin affects appetite

In response to food intake, fat cells release leptin, which enters the bloodstream and enters the brain.

There the hormone bindsM. D. Klok, S. Jakobsdottir, M. L. Drent. The role of leptin and ghrelin in the regulation of food intake and body weight in humans: a review / Obesity Reviews

with receptors in the hypothalamus and transmits information about energy stores. When enough of it, a number of appetite suppressants are released in the body.

When a person is losing fat and not getting enough calories, leptin levels go down and their appetite goes up. Therefore, during diets, people suffer from hunger, even if the fat stores are overflowing with stored energy.

On the other hand, a high percentage of body fat and overeating, especially carbohydrates, increaseM. Dirlewanger, V. Vetta, E. Guenat, P. Battilana. Effects of short-term carbohydrate or fat overfeeding on energy expenditure and plasma leptin concentrations in healthy female subjects / International journal of obesity leptin levels and reduce hunger. It would seem that overweight people who eat sweets should have a lot of the "satiety hormone" and almost not feel the need for food.

Their leptin levels are really high, but they no longer reduce their appetite. Scientists suggest that the whole thing is in impaired sensitivity.

Why leptin insensitivity occurs

In one studyJ. W. Kolaczynski, J. P. Ohannesian, R. V. Considine. Response of leptin to short-term and prolonged overfeeding in humans / The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism found that 12 hours of overeating (120 kcal / kg of body weight) raised the level of leptin by 40%, and two weeks of such a regimen increased the amount of the hormone threefold.

Scientists suggest that excessive amounts of leptin can directly affect the hypothalamus, making it less sensitive to this hormone.

Moreover, it is getting worseJ. Bouillon-Minois, M. Trousselard, D. Thivel. Leptin as a Biomarker of Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta ‑ Analysis / Nutrients and the transport of leptin across the blood-brain barrier, a filter that protects the brain from harmful blood components.

Thus, little leptin penetrates into it, the hypothalamus does not receive the command to curtail appetite and the feeling of satiety does not come, despite the excess of calories.

In addition, high plasma hormone levels increaseM. Obradovic1, E. Sudar-Milovanovic, S. Soskic. Leptin and Obesity: Role and Clinical Implication / Frontiers in Endocrinology the amount of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and they, in turn, further increase leptin.

How to increase sensitivity to leptin

There are several strategies you can use to improve your leptin sensitivity and appetite.

Give up sugar

In response to sugar intake, the body's levels of insulin, and persistent hyperinsulinemia leadsM. Obradovic1, E. Sudar-Milovanovic, S. Soskic. Leptin and Obesity: Role and Clinical Implication / Frontiers in Endocrinology to an increase in the concentration of leptin in blood plasma.

Just three days of overeating carbohydrates increasesM. Dirlewanger, V. di Vetta, E. Guenat. Effects of short-term carbohydrate or fat overfeeding on energy expenditure and plasma leptin concentrations in healthy female subjects / International journal of obesity the level of "satiety hormone" by 28%. Moreover, table sugar, and especially its fructose, canJ. R. Vasselli. The Role of Dietary Components in Leptin Resistance / Advances in nutrition worsen sensitivity to leptin and induce weight gain.

Therefore, it is worth giving up sweets to the maximum. If possible, exclude them altogether.

Reduce saturated fat

Fats far less impact on leptin levels than carbohydrates, but they can contribute to the development of resistance.

Experiments on animals have shown that saturated fatty acids impairJ. R. Vasselli. The Role of Dietary Components in Leptin Resistance / Advances in nutrition the transfer of leptin across the blood-brain barrier, which affects the amount of the hormone in the brain and its effect on appetite. Moreover, unsaturated fatty acids from vegetable oils, fish and nuts do not have such an effect.

Diet guides advise cutting back 1. Healthy diet / World Health Organization
2. Saturated Fat / American Heart Association saturated fat levels in diets up to 5-10% of total calories due to perceived cardiovascular harm. It may be worth following this advice to reduce your appetite.

Try to limit the amount of fatty and processed meat, do not lean on butter and lard.

Try intermittent fasting

As mentioned earlier, fasting and losing weight reduce leptin levels. This is logical, because the fewer fat cells, the less hormone they can produce.

But in one scientific work they notedM. Albosta, J. Bakke. Intermittent fasting: is there a role in the treatment of diabetes? A review of the literature and guide for primary care physicians / Clinical Diabetes and Endocrinologythat intermittent fasting helps to get rid of excess leptin even faster than fat mass.

In addition, there is evidence that this nutritional technique increasesV. D. Longo, M. P. Mattson. Fasting: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Applications / Cell metabolism insulin and leptin sensitivity and helps fight inflammation in the body.

Try soft mode intermittent fasting, in which you need to abstain from food for 16 hours, and the rest of the time to eat as usual.

Workout

While exercise is not the most effective way to lose weight, it can be beneficial. 1. D. J. Dyck. Leptin Sensitivity in Skeletal Muscle Is Modulated by Diet and Exercise / Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews
2. T. Shiuchia, Y. Miyatakeb, A. Otsuka. Role of orexin in exercise-induced leptin sensitivity in the mediobasal hypothalamus of mice / Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications on sensitivity to leptin.

In meta-analysisM. V. Fedewa, E. D. Hathaway, C. L Ward-Ritacco. The Effect of Chronic Exercise Training on Leptin: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials / Sports medicine scientific studies have found that a decrease in the level of the hormone of satiety is directly related to the loss of fat, but at the same time it was also noted that the sensitivity to it can improve without significant losing weight.

Supplement your schedule with regular workouts - it doesn't matter if strength, aerobic, or mixed. Train 3-4 times a week for 30-60 minutes, the more intense the better.

Get enough sleep

According to research 1. S. Taheri, L. Lin, D. Austin, T. Young. Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index / PLoS medicine
2. K. Spiegel, R. Leproult, M. L'hermite-Baleriaux. Leptin levels are dependent on sleep duration: relationships with sympathovagal balance, carbohydrate regulation, cortisol, and thyrotropin / The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, in people who sleep 4-5 hours a night, the level of leptin is reduced by 15.5-19% compared with the lucky ones who rest 8-9 hours.

If the hormone is sensitive to normal, a decrease in its level can lead to overeating and gaining extra pounds. Therefore, it is important to ensure complete night restespecially if you are already on a diet and often feel hungry.

Try to get at least eight hours of sleep a night. This will save you from overwhelming cravings for fatty and sugary foods, breakdowns and weight gain.