Everything you need to know about Leptin

             

Dear Fitfam,

      I'm finally back at it! I've missed writing to you. It has almost been a year since I posted and a lot has changed and I'm hoping to support each other and be in the best asset we can ever be. Together we can. 

     Today, I'll be talking about a very important topic that is more into science, leptin. So what's exactly leptin and why are we talking about it and how is it related to losing weight. Am sure lots of questions will pop up as well as guesses, so let's see what you got right.. 

     Leptin, the king of all hormones, is a satiety hormone, in other words, it suppresses hunger. Leptin is a hormone that is tied closely to regulating energy intake and expenditure, including appetite, metabolism and hunger. It is the single most important hormone when it comes to understanding why we feel hungry or full. When present in high levels, it signals to our brain that we’re full and can stop eating. When low, we feel hungry and crave food. It does this by stimulating receptors in out hypothalamus, the part of our brains which regulates the hormone system in our bodies. When leptin binds to receptors in this part of our brains, it stimulates the release of appetite-suppressing chemicals.

                        

    

How is it produced in our body?

     Leptin is mostly produced from our fat cells and the level of circulating leptin is directly proportional to the total amount of fat in the body.  That means the more fat you have, the greater the amount of leptin you have. So when you lose a lot of weight quick, via liposuction or serious calorie restriction, your leptin levels rapidly decreases. Subsequently, you get hungrier and your metabolic rate drops. Your body then increases your appetite, making you tend to slip off your regime and gain all that weight right back. 

        

   

 How can we increase leptin level?

     

• Avoid severe calorie restriction 
• Eat ONE cheat meal per week
• Avoid high sugar intake
• Eat Omega-3 (in fish/flaxseed/walnuts)
• Sleep well
• Have a protein packed breakfast 
• Increase fruits and veggies intake especially spinach, kale, and broccoli 
•  Exercise but don't over do it
• Avoid simple "white" carbs   

I hope this post is simple and provided you with all the information possibly needed to understand how leptin works and I would be glad to receive any question concerning it.

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With love, 

    Dalia EK

Reference

http://nutritionwonderland.com/2009/06/understanding-our-bodies-leptin-the-fullness-hormone/