What You Need To Know About Leptin Resistance
When people have a hard time losing weight there may be many underlying things going on in the body that are resisting their efforts. One of the challenges that overweight people face is that their bodies are accumulating large amounts of leptin but the brain does not know how to process it correctly.
“Leptin is a protein hormone involved in the regulation of energy intake and expenditure by the body. Leptin is an important cytokine that plays a key role in the regulation of appetite, food intake and metabolism.” – News Medical
This protein is what the brain uses to tell your body to stop eating. When the brain does not get the proper signals you have something called “leptin resistance.” Similar to insulin resistance experienced in Type 2 diabetes, the body is failing to respond to it properly.
In simple layman’s terms, leptin resistance is when your body’s levels of leptin are high but for some reason the brain is not receiving any of it. There are several ways that you can fight off leptin resistance – here are a few suggestions.
It is natural that as you feel overweight your desire to move decreases; however, if you start to get your body moving again through exercise, you can help to mitigate the effects of cortisol on the body. When you limit your physical activity your cortisol levels will begin to rise and your appetite will only increase. But when you have a regular routine of moderate physical activity your cortisol levels will drop and your appetite will decrease as your leptin level rises.
Avoid consuming inflammatory foods as they can have a definite impact on how the leptin functions in the body. You also want to avoid foods that are not naturally sweetened. This requires you to do more than avoid putting added sugars into your food but it may also mean carefully reading labels when you shop. Today, many manufacturers do not add sugar to their labels but may use words like Fructose Corn Syrup, fructose, dextrose, maltose, and more. Caution, anything ending with the word ‘syrup’ should be avoided.
Stress and anxiety are one of the most common reasons for weight gain. They increase your body’s cortisol levels and your appetite. Have you ever heard the term “comfort food?” By reducing your levels of stress you lower your risk of leptin resistance and can avoid much of the weight gain in the first place.
If you’re having difficulty shedding those excess pounds you may be experiencing some leptin resistance and will need to take a detour to resolve your issue.
“Ever had trouble sticking to a diet? Crave foods? Overweight? Want to snack, especially at night? These are all indications that you could have some Leptin issues.” – Wellness Mama
If you’re struggling with obesity, chances are you have leptin in short supply and it is time to move in a new direction. Whether you want to fight your leptin resistance the natural way or you’re looking for dietary supplements to beat it consider talking to your primary care physician so you can get the needed supervision and guidance to help you to overcome it.