Leptin Resistance Causes Weight Gain
Sometimes obese or overweight people are criticized for eating too much intentionally. But losing or gaining weight is more than about an individual’s passion for eating as it is more or less influenced by your hormones. When talking about the role of hormones in gaining weight, leptin, and leptin resistance are two of the most important concepts.
What is Leptin?
Leptin is a hormone produced by the fat hormones in your body. This hormone is mainly released to manage the feelings of hunger and satiety.
If you can tolerate enough leptin, after storing enough fat, this hormone sends a message to your brain that you are full and don’t need to eat anymore. Its beneficial effect does not end here and is useful for fertility, regulation of brain functions, and immunity.
However, basically, the hormone leptin ensures that you eat enough and avoid starving too much or overeating.
How Does Leptin Affect the Brain?
Since leptin is produced by fat cells, the more you eat fats, the more likely it is to produce leptin. The leptins produced are transported to your brain via the bloodstream and are sent to the hypothalamus for how much you eat, your fullness, and your eating processes.
Basically, leptin transmits the rate of fat in your body to your brain. Your brain decides whether you are hungry or full by examining the fat ratio. Thus, it ensures that your body is protected by being fed in an ideal way.
What is Leptin Resistance?
Leptin resistance is a condition found in people with obesity who have a very high body fat rate. High-fat food produces much more amount of leptin.
The over-produced leptin is no longer detectable by the brain which results in people never feeling satiated.
Your brain sends the following commands to you due to leptin resistance;
- Because your brain can’t detect leptin, it gets this message that you still need food, so the feeling of hunger never ends.
- Because your body assumes your not getting enough fat, it tries to save all the fat that enters your digestive system and spends much less energy.
Leptin Resistance and Diet
If you have been dieting for a long time, but have never been successful, the underlying reason is most likely leptin resistance.
However, the point to be considered while dieting is that leptin resistance will not always reverse. In some people, after losing weight with diet, the body needs to consume more food. In this case, the body returns to its former state and even to a more oily position over time.
How Does Leptin Resistance Occur?
Leptin resistance is usually the result of three main reasons;
- Inflammation: Inflammatory signaling in your hypothalamus causes leptin resistance to emerge.
- Free fatty acids: If you have high free fats in your bloodstream, it can prevent leptin signals from being triggered in your brain.
- High leptin level: If you have high leptin levels, your brain stops perceiving, causing your leptin resistance to form.
The biggest underlying cause of leptin resistance is obesity. All the above-mentioned conditions occur spontaneously with obesity.
What Should You Do If You Have Leptin Resistance?
If you have leptin resistance, it may not always be possible to reverse this situation. However, with a few methods, you can first control your leptin level and then reverse its resistance.
- Avoiding processed foods: If you are obese or have leptin resistance, you should definitely avoid consuming processed foods.
- Consuming soluble fiber: You should consume soluble fiber such as beans, oats, and so on.
- Exercise: Exercising helps to reduce the amount of fat in your body.
- Sleep: You should definitely pay attention to your sleep quality. Having bad sleep will trigger your leptin resistance.
- Lower your triglycerides: If you have high triglycerides (the main constituents of body fat), you may have leptin resistance.
- Consuming protein: You should definitely consume protein in your nutrition program. Consuming different types of protein has a good effect on both your obesity and leptin resistance.
Does Taking Leptin Supplements Help You Lose Weight?
If you want to use leptin supplements for leptin resistance, the first thing to consider is that your body already has enough leptin. Leptin resistance is caused by excess leptin, not lack of it.
This hormone supplement, which is used with the thought that it will keep you full, may cause unwanted situations in your body in the future. For this reason, if you have leptin resistance, you should consult with a specialist doctor before deciding on the supplements you will use.
You can find detailed information about leptin resistance, reversal of leptin resistance, and a successful weight loss process by calling our clinic.
