What Is Leptin? Start Here Leptin For Beginners!

What Is Leptin? Do I Have Low Leptin Levels?

Most people have never heard of Leptin, so we will focus on the first question people ask, what is Leptin?

Leptin often referred to as the Obesity Hormone, is, in fact, the hormone that can help you to lose weight. Not only can you lose weight but you can have overall better health when you understand how to maximize its effect. Leptin referred to often as the Obesity Hormone when in fact, leptin is the hormone that can help you lose weight.

So what exactly is leptin, and how can it help you to lose weight? Fat cells produce leptin, which then travels through the blood to the brain where it signals the brain that the body has consumed enough fuel. The body regulates its fat stores to stay out of starvation mode and to make sure there is enough reserve fuel to outlast a famine.

It is not an excess of leptin that makes people fat. Instead, it is leptin resistance that keeps the brain from signaling the stomach that it is full. After years of carrying extra weight and eating a diet full of high processed foods, the body can become resistant to the messages leptin tries to send to the brain.

Leptin Discovered

In 1994 researchers at Rockefeller University discovered that there was a group of mice that seemed to eat without stopping. This group weighed three times as much as normal mice and developed a multitude of health problems, including type II diabetes and loss of reproductive function.

Researchers discovered that these mice were lacking the hormone they name leptin. Once leptin was synthesized and given to the mice, they lost the extra weight and returned to good health. They were hopeful that this discovery would be a real breakthrough for the treatment of obesity. Unfortunately, it was not.

Remember when your mother, or grandmother, used to tell you to clean your plate because there were starving children in Africa? She meant well, but she was training you to gauge your hunger by sight, rather than by the full signal triggered by leptin.

After eating this way for a period, your body begins to think it needs more food than it does to produce a feeling of satiety. In addition to triggering the full feeling, leptin also serves to regulate the functions of your brain immune system. It also regulates other hormones in your body that controls the thyroid, adrenal, stress, and reproductive functions.

Most obese people have too much leptin not low leptin levels in their systems. The problem this causes is in the transferring of the message of satiety, from the brain to the stomach. The excess leptin clogs the system, which is known as leptin resistance. This further causes the body to act as if there is no leptin in the system. People then overeat and think obsessively about their next meal.

The Function of Fat

For many years, nutritionists thought fat was nothing more than stored energy. It turns out that fat is a metabolic organ, as are the thyroid and adrenal glands. Leptin is a hormone produced by white adipose tissue, otherwise known as fat. As you eat, leptin is released from your fat stores, goes into the blood, and travels to the brain where it tells you how much fuel you have to use.

From there, the brain regulates how fast your metabolism will work based on the amount of energy you have stored. Small amounts of leptin signals the feeling of hunger so you will eat more; when you feel full, it is because the leptin levels have gone up and your brain accepts that you have enough fuel to go about your normal activities. It then kicks your metabolism into gear.

Hopefully, this article has answered the question, what is leptin. Knowing about leptin will allow you to make wise eating decisions. Once you begin to eat to maximize the leptin levels in your body, your hunger should subside. With a little exercise and eating fewer calories in time, you will lose weight.

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