Leptin is not something you hear too often in the fitness industry but it shouldn’t be overlooked and hopefully in this article you can understand why.
Firstly we need to know what is leptin?
Leptin is definitively described as a hormone that plays a “pivotal role” in regulating food intake and energy output.
Leptin is a form of protein that’s produced in the fat cells, which is secreted in the bloodstream and enters the brain. The latest research suggests it may be the way that fat cells tell the brain that the body’s energy system is all operating correctly and that enough energy is stored in fat cells for a normal metabolic process
When people diet incorrectly, particularly those useless ineffective fad diets that come and go year on year (but that’s a rant for another time), they don’t eat enough food and their fat cells lose too much fat too rapidly along with a high proportion of muscle mass, which then effects the amount of leptin produced. This then sends a chain reaction throughout the body,not enough food intake leads to decrease of nutrients, decreased leptin which then sends the message to your brain that you are in a state of starvation.
Your body is then in survival mode your metabolic rate slows so although you’re eating a lot less you are using a lot less energy, whenever you do eat your body will store as much fat as possible because it’s operating on the basis ‘I don’t know when the next chance to store energy is coming’. At this point any muscle gain is nigh on impossible and as all my clients know muscle mass is insurance against fat loss as it requires more energy raising your expenditure.Your training will be largely ineffective as your body will be trying to hold onto its fat stores and due to your decreased metabolic rate you will probably have the strength levels of a new born kitten so you won’t be able to train very hard. Hopefully, this now highlights the futility of eating next to nothing and hitting the gym to ensure you lose weight. This cascading effect and understanding it’s how’s and whys hopefully gives you the knowledge not to make this mistake. Eventually the vagus nerve is stimulated and leptin levels increase making it very hard to carry on eating tiny amounts anyway.
On the flip side of the coin, what if you never do these silly diets but you want to lose fat, you’re eating and not feeling full but you keep gaining fat. Maybe, again the answer is in leptin there is a phenomenon in overweight people known as leptin resistance this is when this important hormone has been overridden, the leptin levels are high but the brain doesn’t receive the signal, similar to insulin resistance when insulin is in the blood stream but doesn’t get into the muscles. So, with no signal telling you to stop and no form of portion control this can lead to obesity. Therefore, an over riding leptin response is likely to have come from over eating for a sustained period, which could stem from an emotional issue or disorder. At this point you would need to get professional help to address the eating habits and emotional issues. Latest research suggests combating insulin resistance as well can help with leptin response.
So, to sum up leptin is still being researched heavily there is still a lot to learn. Is leptin a friend or foe? In my opinion treat your body like it’s your friend, eat healthily, exercise and leptin will be your buddy too. Wage war on your body, over eat or under eat and leptin will wage war on you.
