Leptin

What is Leptin?

Leptin is the hormone that sends messages to the brain that we may suppress craving and curb our appetites.

Leptin is the Master Hormone that controls obesity and weight loss

The more fat your body has, the more Leptin it produces

  

Leptin travels through your blood stream and communicates to the Hypothalamus (aka "the animal brain") how much fat the body is storing

Under normal circumstances (ie there is no Leptin Resistance), if there is too much Leptin:

• you become less hungry
• you become more sensitive to sweet things
• your metabolism speeds up
• your body becomes more efficient at burning fat (AKA the THIN program!)

When your body is suffering from Leptin Resistance:

• it is the same as not having Leptin at all so it takes your body alot longer to feel full;
• your tongue becomes less sensitive to sweet foods so you crave more to satisfy you;
• the thyroid fails to secrete certain hormones leading to an excess of other hormones = hormonal imbalance;
• you become insulin resistant

Chronic stresses decrease your body's response to Leptin.   Jon also refers to this as a famine response/FAT switch - the body becomes resistant to leptin so you gain weight (preparing for a FIGHT response).

Acute stresses increase your body's response to Leptin so you lose weight

 (preparing for a FLIGHT response).

How do we get our bodies to become more sensitive to Leptin????

SUNLIGHT

• increases level of Vitamin D which decreases the levels of Proinflammatory Cytokines
• signals to the body that it is the season where there is more abundant food and it is safe to carry less fat (Spring/Summer)

OMEGA 3s

• acutely increases plasma Leptin concentrations which increases metabolic rate and decreases hunger
• reduces levels of triglycerides in the blood stream
• reduces inflammation
• decreases anxiety & depression
• helps the brain to repair damage by promoting neuronal growth

ADRENALIN

• when the brain releases the adrenalin hormone it stimulates the fat cells to release energy (fat!)

As Jon tells us, the most effective way to get our brains to release a super dose of adrenalin is to run away from predators.  So I guess I had better start imagining something big and scary coming after me when I'm out for a walk....  hhmmm.... 

A tiger? 

A giant spider? 

(sorry, I couldn't bring myself to post a pic of a spider, that's how much they scare me!!)




Or a Labradoodle? 

(hahaha!  If I saw a Labradoodle chasing after me, I'd probably roll on the ground laughing :D just thinking or saying the word "labradoodle" makes me weak with laughter!!)