There is a link between obesity and the hormone leptin and it has become a very interesting topic for research. Obesity is now associated with possible leptin resistance. According the existing evidence, obese prone individuals don't respond to increasing leptin levels in the same way that no obese prone individuals do.

Leptin resistance and obesity

According to The National Institutes of Health the definition of leptin resistance is- The failure of endogenous or exogenous leptin to promote anticipated salutary metabolic outcomes in states of over-nutrition or obesity. So, it means your brain is starving but your body is obese. In general, when you gain weight the leptin levels in your blood will go up. When you lose weight, leptin levels in your blood will go down. But if you are suffering from leptin resistance, this will not happen. And as a result of that, a vicious cycle of weight gain may form which will cause you to gain more weight.

If you're not very sensitive to leptin and the signals it gives, your body may not work accordingly. If you are suffering from leptin resistance it is likely that you will eat more food than required to feel full or satiated. It happens because your brain is not able to receive the message that you have already eaten enough food for you.

Scientists believe that because of obesity multiple cellular processes may get altered and they may interfere with normal leptin signalling. Leptin resistance may make some cellular changes which make weight gain more likely. It becomes more evident when both genetic and environmental factors associated with that.

Make leptin help you to lose weight

It is possible to make leptin work for you as your starvation hormone. It is possible to increase or decrease your leptin levels. However, here you need to understand that besides your leptin levels there are many other factors which will control your body weight, including overall diet, age, gender, genetics, and medical history, level of activity and gut health. It is possible to make some changes in your habits, choices and lifestyle which can help you to regulate leptin levels in your body and ensure that you maintain a balanced and healthy bodyweight.

A leptin diet

If you follow a leptin diet, it will help you to ensure that you have the optimum level of leptin to get the maximum benefit in losing weight. There are foods which are very satiating and is considered as the best foods for improving leptin sensitivity.

Those foods which are high in refined grains, added sugar, artificial flavours or sweeteners, added fats and other synthetic ingredients are likely to interfere with normal leptin and ghrelin levels. If these elements are combined together, the possibility of the interfering leptin levels will increase. You need to avoid sweets like cakes, doughnuts, pastries, cookies, brownies, desserts, soda, sweetened beverages, picture, white bread, chocolate, roles, candy and ice cream, salty snacks like chips, pretzels, and French fries.

Instead of that, you need to include the following foods in your diet. You will need high-fibre are high-volume foods which include all types of fresh and cooked vegetables. You should include more vegetables, fresh fruit, salads, beans, legumes and whole grains. High-fibre foods are good for you because they will help you to control your hunger, prevent overeating and at the same time increasing mealtime satisfaction. You will also need high protein foods and healthy fats to ensure that you have a balanced diet which will increase your satiety and will help you to eat the optimum level of food.

References

1. 10-minute Fat Loss
2. Leptin signaling and leptin resistance
3. The role of leptin and ghrelin in the regulation of food intake and body weight in humans: a review