Leptin and Leptin Resistance - DailyAchiever

Leptin and Leptin Resistance

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Written By Melvin Waller, MD
Fact Checked By Dortha Varney, Ph.D.

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This is the general conception of the people that gaining and losing weight is all about calories and the will power of the people. If we consider modern research done on obesity, then it denies the above facts.

According to the scientists and their experiments, there is a hormone called leptin, which is responsible for this and if your body is nor responding to this hormone, then that is known as leptin resistance. When leptin resistance will be activated in your body, then your body will stop responding to this hormone and it will increase the fatness in your body.

Leptin is the name of a hormone of the human body which is produced by the fat cells in the body. The chief work of this hormone is to check the storage of fat in the body and how many calories a body is eating as well as burning.

Along with other complex processes happening in the body, this is one of those processes which is responsible for fatness or obesity in the human body. People who are becoming fat day by day should know this prominent reason behind their fatness or obesity.

What Is Leptin?

what is leptin

The human body is a complex structure as many processes are going on in the body like respiration, excretion, digestion, etc. in the same manner, there are different types of hormone found in the body of human beings where leptin is one of the most important hormones responsible for fatness and obesity in the body.

It is produced by the fat cells present in the body. There are other names of leptin hormone as we call it “satiety hormone” or “starvation hormone”. There is an area in the brain, which is termed s hypothalamus, which is the primary target of leptin. The work for which leptin is there in the body is to intimate the brain about the fat storage in the body.

When the body has stored fat in more than enough, then leptin informs the brain about enough fat storage and asks the body to burn the calories present in the body at a normal rate.

This is the chief work of the leptin hormone present in the body. There are other works also performed by leptin hormone-like it checks the functions related to fertility, immunity as well as other functions related to the brain.

It also regulates the energy present in the body for a long time and also takes care of the fat you are eating and the calories you are burning. Besides taking care of consumption and spending of fat and calories respectively in the body, the leptin hormone is also responsible to check the amount of fat you are storing in the body.

How Leptin Hormone Helps Body?

leptin hormone

Leptin hormone is one of the most important hormones present in the body which is responsible for a lot of activities happening inside the body. But there is one chief role of leptin hormone in the body which helps you to survive in the natural environment.

The leptin hormone is responsible to check the starting point as well as the situation of overeating in the body. If the body is not getting food supplements as well as nutrients in an ample amount, then leptin will inform the brain about the things and again if the body is consuming fat more than enough, then again leptin will inform the brain. Bot eating and overeating are important for the body.

What Is Leptin Resistance?

leptin resistance

Many people are fat and obese. These people have a lot of body fat in their fat cells. Leptin is produced according to the size of the fat cells, and that’s why people who are very much fatty or suffering from obesity, their body contains a high level of leptin.

People who are very much fatty or obese should eat less or consume less amount of fat as the leptin hormone is informing everything to the brain and your brain is well acquainted that what amount of fat is stored in the body. There is a condition called leptin resistance, where the brain is not able to get the signal from leptin.

According to the research by scientists, this is one of the most prominent biological reasons which is responsible for obesity in the body of humans. The problem starts when the proper signal would not be received by the brain and the brain will think that the body is running short of food and it is needed for food, though there is enough fat stored in the body.

This will make the difference in sending the order by the brain and the brain will instruct the body to eat more.

How Leptin Resistance Affects The Brain?

If there will be leptin resistance in the body, then the brain will not be able to send the right signals to the body and some of the problems would happen which can cause obesity and fatness of the body. These are some of the problems:

  1. Overeating:

If the brain will not get the right signal from leptin, then it will think that the body is suffering from starvation and it will instruct the body to eat more to get rid of starvation. If you will eat more, then you will become fatty or obese.

  1. Spending less energy:

The brain will think that the body is suffering from starvation and never allows the body to spend energy and slowly and gradually, there will be the storage of fat in the body which will make you obese. Burning fewer calories than the required amount of results in the obesity of the human body.

  1. Increase in weight:

If you are thinking that you are not exercising, but eating more and this is the reason for obesity, then this can’t be right always. Leptin resistance is one of the major causes of increased fat or weight in the body. This is often termed as a hormonal defect in the body.

These are some of the things which the brain instructs you to do if the body is suffering from the problem of leptin resistance.

What Causes Leptin Resistance?

As we all know that leptin resistance is one of the defects in the hormone which leads to the wrong decision making of the brain. If this is a defect, then there must be some reasons behind this defect. There are some of the potential mechanisms identified behind the leptin resistance in the body and some of them are:

  1. High level of leptins:

Having a high level of leptins in the body may be the prominent cause behind the defect of leptin resistance. The elevated level of leptin is not a good sign as it can stop the hormone to send the right signals to the brain which finally results in leptin resistance.

  1. Free fatty acids:

 If your body contains a high level of fatty acids in your bloodstream, then it may be responsible for the leptin resistance as it will increase the fat metabolites in the brain. The fat metabolites will be increased in the brain, then the brain will not able to get the right signals from the leptin, and the body will fall prey to leptin resistance. We do recommend adding some supplements to help fix leptin resistance.

  1. Inflammation:

If there is inflammatory signaling in the hypothalamus of the brain, then it may cause leptin resistance. The leptin resistance may cause both humans as well as animals. The problem happens to both, but can be detected easily if the problem is there in human but it is difficult to find the problem if an animal is suffering through this as the process is slow.

If such things are happening in the body, then you will turn obese and it will be hard to control as you will become more leptin resistant with time.

What Is The Impact Of Leptin Resistance On Dieting?

impact on diet

People who are fat or obese think that if they will start dieting, then they can get rid of this problem, but they don’t know that if they have the problem of leptin resistance in their body, then dieting will not work at any cost.

That’s why most people start dieting but there is no change in the weight of their body and their size remains to be the same as it was before dieting. When the level of leptin will deplete, then it will allow you to eat more and you will be no more interested in exercising or dieting.

You will start eating once again and the same situation will be there once again. The body will burn a small number of calories and if the burning rate of calories will be less, then the weight of the body will remain the same, as it was earlier.

The brain thinks that the body is not getting the proper amount of food supplements or nutrients and it initiates some of the powerful mechanisms so that the body could regain lost body fat. This is one of the prominent factors for not getting any change even after sweating and exercising a lot in the gym or the house.

How To Reverse The Leptin Resistance?

reverse

Now, in this section, we will talk about the remedy of this problem, which is to reverse the leptin resistance. There are certain ways with the help of which an individual can get acquainted with the fact that whether they are suffering from leptin resistance or not. They can look in the mirror to check whether they are suffering from leptin resistance or not. You are supposed to look in the abdomen area.

If there is a lot of body fat accumulated in that area, then there are the chances that you are suffering from leptin resistance. It has not been proved that following some of the things my reduce leptin resistance, but scientists and researchers believe that some of the tips will work.

You are supposed to reduce the diet, which induces inflammation as it helps in reducing the leptin resistance.

Other than this, there is another way which says to follow some of the healthy lifestyles and you will see the reduced level of leptin resistance in the body. However, there are some of the ways which can be followed by you to reduce the level of leptin resistance in the body:

  1. Abstain from eating processed food:

You are supposed to avoid consuming processed food as this is the main cause of inflammation in the body. Highly processed foods are also dangerous for the body as it drives the inflammation and harms the delicate organs responsible for daily activities of the body. We should not consume highly processed food and also stop others to eat processed food. We do recommend reading this journey to better understand leptin issue.

  1. Consumption of soluble fiber:

Many of us abhor to eat food rich in fiber, but we don’t know that there are certain positive parts of such foods. They are highly beneficial for the body as they help in the improvement of the gut health of the body and it will help your body to be free from obesity. If you want to remain healthy and free for leptin resistance in the body, then you should start consuming food rich in soluble fiber.

  1. Exercise regularly:

 One of the chief remedies with the help of which leptin resistance can be revered is doing exercise regularly. If you are doing exercise regularly, then it will help you in reversing leptin resistance in the body. So, exercise is a must for a body if it is suffering from leptin resistance.

  1. A proper sleep:

You are supposed to take proper sleep or regular sleep to diminish the impact of leptin resistance in the body. If you are not sleeping properly, then the direct impact will there on your health and you will feel more tormented, and that’s why a sound sleep is a must.

  1. Lower your triglycerides:

High triglycerides are one of the chief reasons for leptin resistance as it prevents the flow of leptin along with the blood to your brain. If you want to decrease the level of triglycerides, then you need to reduce carb intakes. Carb intakes are responsible for leptin resistance in the body which causes obesity in the body which is harmful.

  1. Consumption of protein in the correct amount:

If you are consuming protein in a rich amount, then this can be one of the best remedies against leptin resistance. You need to eat protein in an ample amount so that the automatic weight loss can happen and the body will be able to feel less leptin resistance. This will lead the leptin to reach the brain without any problem.

These are some of the ways which can be followed by a person if he is suffering from leptin resistance. You need to be determined completely if you have decided to reduce the level of leptin resistance in the body. You are responsible for the health of your body and it is only possible by will power and strong determination.

Misconception About Obesity

There are some of the misconceptions of the people living in the society that fatness is all about laziness and overeating. Obese people are not greedy or gluttonous that they are eating much food or they are not concerned about their fatness. They are concerned about their fatness and doing regular exercise, but nothing is working effectively as they are suffering from the problem of leptin resistance.

They need to be little concerned about some of the dos and don’ts, and they will be able to win this battle where they will be normal in size once again. They just need to take care of their health by implementing some of the healthy living tips, and they will witness the change and will be able to wrong the judgments done by people for them. Obesity is not a big problem as it is represented by the people in the society.

The only problem is the lack of information and once you are acquainted with the facts, you will get rid of this problem by yourself.

Leptin hormone is responsible for the control and regulation of starvation as well as overeating by the body. Moreover, we can say that if this hormone is working properly in the body of a human, then that human will remain it and sound.

The body will not suffer from the problem of unfitness or bulky weight if the leptin hormone is working properly. the problem starts when there is the emergence of leptin resistance which is just opposite to leptin hormone.

It doesn’t allow the leptin hormone to reach the brain along with the blood and wrong decisions are made by the brain which results in obesity and fatness. That’s why you are supposed to take the utmost care of the body by exercising regularly and eating healthy food as these two things act as a shield against leptin resistance. People who are exercising regularly, eating healthy foods that are rich in soluble fiber and protein, taking proper sleep, etc. will remain safe from the problem of leptin resistance.

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