Leptin is a peptide hormone secreted by adipose tissue cells. This hormone regulates metabolism. Too little leptin synthesis leads to excessive appetite and obesity. Therefore, a leptin blood test is performed to determine the cause of obesity.
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Leptin - what is it?
The content of the article
Leptin is a peptide hormone classified as an adipokine that is synthesized by adipose tissue. Adipokines are biologically active compounds that act only on adipose tissue or affect distant tissues. One of the most important adipokines is leptin, consisting of 17 amino acids.
This hormone is synthesized mainly by adipose tissue and is produced in small quantities in skeletal muscle, endothelium, stomach, placenta and pituitary gland. Leptin receptors, in turn, are found in cells of the pancreas, adrenal glands, spleen, testes, ovaries, prostate, placenta, hypothalamus and thyroid gland.
The level of leptin synthesis directly depends on the volume of adipose tissue. It is also subject to daily regulation, with leptin clearance peaking between 10 and 3 am. The following factors also influence leptin synthesis: insulin, glucose, glucocorticoids and estrogens.
In turn, leptin production is inhibited by free fatty acids, growth hormone and androgens, as well as hypoglycemic and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Leptin - action
Leptin influences fetal development. It is then synthesized by both the placenta and fetal fat tissue. Leptin is involved in the development of the respiratory, digestive and skeletal systems and is involved in hematopoiesis.
Leptin regulates lipid and glucose metabolism. The hormone leptin enhances the oxidation of fatty acids, promoting lipolysis. Thanks to this, leptin promotes the activation of the distribution of adipose tissue, while simultaneously preventing its production.
In turn, the effect of this hormone on carbohydrate metabolism is reduced to increase cell sensitivity to insulin and increase glucose consumption. The next direction of action of leptin is its effect on food intake. Leptin is called the satiety hormone for good reason.
By lowering levels of neuropeptide Y, a compound that promotes appetite, leptin reduces appetite.
Leptin and ghrelin
In obese people, whose bodies gradually become resistant to this action of leptin, this can lead to stronger and more frequent hunger. Leptin has the opposite effect of ghrelin, synthesized by stomach cells, which is responsible for the feeling of hunger.
Increased ghrelin secretion is associated with stress, low-calorie diets (below 1000 kcal) and cancer. Leptin and ghrelin must remain in balance, otherwise appetite disturbances may occur.
Leptin also regulates puberty and growth, affects fertility, modulates the immune system, and increases bone mineral density.
Hormone versus diet?
One and a half billion people - this is the frightening figure according to WHO who suffer from obesity around the world. In America there are 35% of overweight people, in England – 25%, in Ukraine – 26% of women and 16% of men. Who or what is to blame for the extra pounds? Scientists all over the world are concerned about this problem. Not long ago, their efforts to find the “culprit” were crowned with success.
A breakthrough emerged at the end of the last century, when Spanish doctors conducted an experiment by putting a hundred overweight people on a week-long low-calorie diet. At first, it looked like the experiment was a success: participants lost up to 5% of their weight. When, after 4 months, all members of the group were re-assembled in order to find out whether they had managed to maintain the result, the scientists were shocked: most of the participants returned to their “pre-experimental” weight. And this despite the fact that they continued to diet!!!
It seems that what and how much they eat was no longer important, because the test subjects’ bodies did not recognize the quality, properties and quantity of food. Their “hormonal thermostats” were running full blast, but they were not functioning correctly because they were not sending objective nutritional information to the brain.
In those experiment participants who were unable to lose weight, Spanish scientists found high levels of a hormone called leptin.
Leptin level test - indications
Leptin levels in the blood are not usually measured. This study is most often tasked with diagnosing the causes of obesity, especially in children.
An important symptom is obesity, which occurs in a person whose family also has a history of obesity, as well as obesity with accompanying bouts of uncontrollable hunger. In addition, the emergence of other eating disorders may be an indication for leptin testing.
The level of the hormone is also determined in case of menstrual irregularities, which may occur due to excessive reduction of fat or its pathologically large volume.
Interpreting leptin test results
Elevated leptin levels are found physiologically in obese individuals. When obesity is accompanied by low leptin levels, leptin deficiency may be the cause. In a small percentage of people, leptin deficiency is congenital and results from a mutation in the gene encoding the leptin receptor LEPR.
However, if an overweight person experiences a significant increase in leptin concentrations, leptin resistance may be the cause. This is a condition in which excess fat synthesizes large amounts of leptin;
Over time, tissues stop responding to leptin, which interferes with the feeling of fullness and promotes excessive appetite. We eat more, we gain adipose tissue, leptin synthesis increases - and leptin resistance is constantly increasing.
What is the hormone responsible for?
This is a “regulator” of appetite, the level of which depends on the amount of energy in the body. When the concentration of a substance decreases, a signal is sent to the brain that it urgently needs to be “refreshed.” Replenish supplies.
When a person begins to eat, saturation occurs as food comes in. If hunger lasts for a long time, the concentration of the substance increases, but recovery takes some time. During this period, hunger will occur periodically, even if the person has eaten recently. This phenomenon is caused by a failure in the metabolic process. The brain simply “does not see” the enzyme and does not react to it.
What the hormone is responsible for:
- for a feeling of satiety, satiety during eating;
- for the level of appetite, which increases with decreasing concentration of the substance.
The brain carries out analysis regularly. By assessing the level of fat deposits and energy, indicators help him understand what the body needs.
Read: Eating right: calorie content of an omelet
When leptin concentrations are low, the brain does not “see” fat deposits, which leads to increased appetite. A person begins to eat, trying in this way to drown out signals from the brain and increase leptin.
But since this behavior is caused by hormonal imbalance, it leads to weight gain and the development of obesity.
Leptin resistance – how to treat?
If you have leptin resistance, you may notice problems losing weight despite using a weight loss diet, as well as a constant desire to snack. Additionally, people struggling with this problem experience chronic fatigue.
The most effective way to combat resistance is to reduce body weight. The best diet is a fat-based diet, as carbohydrates and proteins stimulate leptin synthesis. In addition, overeating should be strictly avoided.
It is also worth taking care of the correct daily sleep cycle - the ideal time to fall asleep is 22-23, and sleep should last about 8 hours.
Treatments for elevated leptin
Unfortunately, there are no medications that can normalize leptin levels. Therefore, it can only be reduced by correcting nutrition and lifestyle, and eliminating provoking factors. The most effective way to keep the hormone concentration normal and control its synthesis by fat cells is to maintain weight within the BMI range.
Nutritional Features
The nutrition program should not be aimed at reducing the level of leptin itself, but at eliminating the body’s resistance to it.
Main principles of eating behavior:
- Eat in small portions. Last meal 3 hours before bedtime.
- Eliminate sugar and salt from your diet.
- Consume no more than 1500-2000 kcal per day. Leave no more than 20% of your daily food intake for dinner.
- Reduce the amount of fat found in fatty meats, baked goods, cream, and sour cream. In small quantities you can consume vegetable oil (coconut oil is especially useful), nuts, and fish.
- The basis of the menu should be cereals and vegetables. They contain fiber, which is necessary for the normal digestion process.
- Minimize the consumption of simple carbohydrates, include more protein compounds.
- Avoid foods with different flavors.
It is not advisable to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners. Although they have zero energy value and no calories, they may increase leptin resistance. It is better to replace sugar with fructose.
Find out the instructions for using Melaxen tablets to replenish hormone deficiency in the body.
Read about the level of insulin in the blood of women on an empty stomach, about the causes and symptoms of deviations in indicators at this address.Follow the link https://fr-dc.ru/vnutrennaja-sekretsija/shhitovidnaya/kolloidnyj-uzel.html and read the information about how and how to treat colloid thyroid nodules.
Physical Culture
It is recommended to engage in anaerobic exercise three times a week. Healthy:
- swim,
- ride a bike,
- to take dance classes,
- run.
It's good if you have home exercise equipment. For the weight loss process to be effective, classes must be continuous and last at least 40 minutes. The room where the training takes place must be well ventilated.
Interval training burns fat well, more intense loads with alternating speeds. Such workouts last about 15-20 minutes.
How to increase leptin hormone levels
People trying to lose weight sometimes want to increase leptin levels to promote satiety and make weight loss easier. In what foods does leptin appear?
No food product is a source of this hormone; the only way to deliver leptin from the outside is through medications containing leptin. Leptin tablets are prescribed by a doctor.
Drugs that increase the sensitivity of cells to leptin are also used. In contrast, dietary supplements most often contain other compounds that suppress appetite.
So how can we stimulate leptin synthesis naturally and in quantities that meet the body's current needs? To increase leptin levels, a diet rich in carbohydrates, regular meals and adequate sleep are recommended.
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Functions
Leptin signals satiety to the brain by acting on the hypothalamus (the part of the brain responsible for controlling appetite), and it suppresses the feeling of hunger (anorexigenic effect). It tells you that there is already enough fat in the body, so you can stop eating and start burning calories.
The hypothalamus, in turn, increases metabolism, as well as the feeling of fullness. A person begins to actively burn calories, thereby feeling less hungry. This is exactly how the correct scheme works.
But when a person eats incorrectly, the level of leptin so overwhelms the bloodstream, the hypothalamus, that the receptor responsible for receiving information begins to collapse. As a result, the connection between the hormone and the hypothalamus is disrupted.
The hypothalamus is not able to process a large amount of information, but a person continues to eat a lot, he produces even more fat and endocrine gland cells. And they continue to enter the bloodstream and try to transmit their information to the hypothalamus. As a result, resistance (immunity) is observed. Moreover, this condition can occur in both obese and thin people.
It is very difficult for such people to lose weight. Even if they go on a diet, they still want to eat. And since the hypothalamus does not hear the signal, it triggers the opposite reaction - weight gain.
Green coffee for weight loss green coffee 800 with leptin
Leptin performs the following functions in the body:
- Helps reduce appetite – provided it functions properly;
- Increases energy consumption;
- Participates in metabolism;
- Increases the tone of the sympathetic nervous system;
- Increases thermogenesis.
But it can also negatively affect the levels of other hormones. If it is necessary to restore the level of hormones of the adrenal glands, gonads, and thyroid glands, then first it is necessary to restore the balance of this peptide adipokine.
Before addressing the issue of obesity, going on a diet, or playing sports, you need to test your body for sensitivity to leptin.
