Leptin: How to Make This Fat-Burning Hormone Work for You

The holidays came and went, and now we are here again:

The mid-winter bulges and blahs. From the holiday treats that you want to burn off, to the frosty weather that keeps you indoors, chances are everything has conspired lately to make you feel heavier and sluggish at times.

Now it's time to turn the tables and make things work in your favor, to help you improve your mood, gain energy and lose weight.

As I will explain, it's about the remarkable weight-loss hormone called leptin. And so you can get started right away, I have included plenty of links for free recipes, resources and more information.

If you have tried restrictive diets but failed to make the scale budge, you know there is more to the weight-loss equation than calories taken in minus calories used.

Chances are your weight problem is not a matter of will or discipline, but a hormonal imbalance. While many still think that losing weight is simply about willpower, eating less and exercising more, the latest research on obesity indicates the problem is far more complex, involving many factors.

One key area of obesity research focuses on how the hormone leptin influences the body's ability to shed excess pounds. What could a hormone have to do with weight loss?

According to the latest research, leptin plays an important role in appetite control, metabolism and weight loss. It is your body's natural weight control mechanism. And the great thing about leptin is that it is produced naturally in the body.

Leptin Regulates Metabolism And Appetite

• It lets your brain know how much fat is in your body. As leptin levels rise, your appetite diminishes. As leptin levels fall, your appetite increases.
• It regulates the rate of fat breakdown. As leptin levels rise, your metabolic rate increases. As leptin levels fall, your metabolism slows.

The number of calories you burn is regulated by thermogenesis, a process in which the body makes heat, mainly in the muscles. According to recent research from Monash University in Australia, the hormone leptin can substantially increase thermogenesis, helping to burn fat.

Leptin Resistance
The body doesn't always listen to the leptin message and leptin resistance occurs. The leptin signal isn't being heard, so it cannot stimulate your metabolism or suppress your appetite. Leptin resistance can make losing weight very difficult if not impossible.

What causes leptin resistance? The typical modern lifestyle contributes to leptin resistance; fast food, little or no exercise, too much stress and not enough sleep. Read my article The Standard American Diet (SAD) to learn more about the alternative to the typical lifestyle.

For example of what can impact leptin, research done at the Laval University in Quebec found that 7-8 hours of sleep each night, on average, was associated with relatively higher levels of leptin. In contrast, getting less sleep meant lower levels of leptin and higher body mass index in the study.

Making Leptin Work So You Can Lose Weight
Unfortunately most doctors aren't yet fully aware of leptin resistance, or the way to combat it with nutrition and lifestyle.

But my experience practicing nutritional medicine and my exploration of the scientific research provided me with unique insights into how to make leptin work and help people lose weight.

So I put this knowledge together and created a breakthrough program in my book The Fat Resistance Diet."

The goal of my program is to make leptin work properly and help you lose weight. It includes changes such as switching to a healthy eating plan with recipes that feature a combination of inflammation-fighting foods, getting enough sleep and reducing stress.

Using the nutritional guidelines I provided, my son Jonathan Galland created meal plans and recipes with flavors inspired by his time living in Italy and Japan. We have been very gratified by the enthusiastic response from our readers about the food. Try the free one day meal plan with recipes at my website.

Once you make this change -- adding the right fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and protein sources, and cutting back on sugar and unhealthy fats -- you'll notice a remarkable change. Not only will you feel better and look better and find the pounds dropping almost effortlessly, but you'll also stop craving unhealthy foods.

Increase Your Resting Metabolic Rate
It's well known that exercise burns calories. In addition, regular exercise stimulates the activity of fat-burning enzymes. The exciting news is that the hormone leptin also stimulates these enzymes, which can increase your metabolic rate even when you're not exercising. This is important because for most people, the resting metabolic rate accounts for two-thirds of the total number of calories they burn each day.

Five Steps To Increasing Metabolism:
1. Maximize flavor and nutrition. Choose food that give you the most flavor and nutritional value for the calories you consume. These foods are rich in one or more of the dietary elements that help your metabolism such as vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Foods with appetite-satisfying flavor and lots of nutrition top our list, such as blueberries, tomatoes, ginger, onions and fresh herbs.

Get a selection of my favorites here List of Healthy Food Choices.

2. Benefit from Omega-3 Oils. Omega-3 essential fatty acids are essential to the healthy functioning of the body and brain. Omega-3s help heal inflammation as well as promoting a wide range of cellular activities, and improving or preventing depression, Alzheimer's disease and other disorders. Plant sources of Omega-3s include: ground flax seed, walnuts, and beans -- especially navy, kidney and soy. Animal sources include fish, especially oily cold-water fish such as salmon or tuna.

3. Up Your Fruit and Veg Servings to 9 or 10 a Day. Find delicious ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into every meal. Choose those fruits and vegetables with deep colors and intense flavors that reflect their high content of anti-inflammatory phytonutrients, like carotenoids and flavonoids. The deepest red and blue flavonoids belong to a subgroup called anthocyanins, found in the jewel-like colors of blueberries, cherries and pomegranates.

4. Skip the Artificial Sweeteners. The use of artificial flavors and sweeteners deprives you of the potent anti-inflammatory phytonutrients found in herbs, spices and naturally sweet fruits. Studies show that artificial sweeteners interfere with weight loss. So steer clear of these sugar substitutes and enjoy fruit, fruit juice and fruit concentrates for their flavor and nutrition. A recent editorial in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) also raised concerns about the use of artificial sweeteners. See more in my article "Artificial Sweeteners, Not So Sweet."

5. Enjoy Healthy Snacks and Desserts. Snacks satisfy hunger, and desserts add fun and satisfaction to a meal. Indulge, but in healthy choices only. Enjoy delicious snacks such as crunchy walnuts or almonds, and dessert treats made from fruit and yogurt that will excite your palate while keeping you satisfied.

In addition to weight loss, the important role that the leptin hormone plays in maintaining health is still being discovered. For a look at leptin and the brain, read my article: "Leptin Fights Alzheimer's Disease."

(For readers of Italian, my book was translated into Italian and published as La Dieta Galland by TEA in Milan.)

Now I'd like to hear from you ...

What is your post-holiday season recovery plan?

What have you found to be helpful?

Please let me know your thoughts by posting a comment below.

Best health,

Leo Galland, M.D.

Important: Share the Health with your friends and family by forwarding this article to them, and sharing on Facebook.

Leo Galland, MD is a board-certified internist, author and internationally recognized leader in integrated medicine. Dr. Galland is the founder of Pill Advised, a web application for learning about medications, supplements and food. Sign up for FREE to discover how your medications and vitamins interact. Watch his videos on YouTube and join the Pill Advised Facebook page.

References:
"The Fat Resistance Diet" by Leo Galland, M.D., Broadway Books

Monash University "Research adds weight to fat burning theories" 27 February 2008

Sleep. 2008 April 1; 31(4): 517-523. "The Association Between Sleep Duration and Weight Gain in Adults: A 6-Year Prospective Study from the Quebec Family Study" Jean-Philippe Chaput, MSc, Jean-Pierre Després, Ph.D., Claude Bouchard, Ph.D., and Angelo Tremblay, Ph.D.

This information is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute (i) medical advice or counseling, (ii) the practice of medicine or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, (iii) or the creation of a physician--patient relationship. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your doctor promptly.

 

 

 

Follow Leo Galland, M.D. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Pilladvised/

Comments

[Jenn Diamond]

10:25 AM on 01/20/2011

I've started IF (intermittant fasting) Leangains style and found that while I have hunger, it's easily satiated during my eating window and I have experienced ZERO cravings for salty or sweet foods, etc, which are normally associated with weight gain. And I don't ever get that "OMG my stomach hurts so bad I have to eat" thing that would happen when eating every few hours.

Also, I'm lifting much heavier at the gym (all compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats, bech press, pullups and chinups) and I employ HIIT as another reader describes in these posts a few times a week to increase fat burn. Went from 128 to 120 in first 8 days (5'2" female), but loss has leveled off now that I flushed the excess water. Most important thing is my clothes are looser and BF is creeping down.

[tomteboda]

03:49 PM on 01/18/2011

Dr. Galland,
What do you make of the current interest in the FTO protein, which has recently been shown to bind directly to DNA in a specific manner? While some studies suggest it acts to increase appetite, other studies have strongly indicated a change in actual metabolism with expression of the gene. Do you think it is possibly working in a synergistic fashion with leptin?

[IntellectuallyHonest]

06:41 PM on 01/17/2011

The old 'I don't know why I haven't lost weight line.' Maybe Arnold could get a job in physical fitness and inspire the nation to become a bunch of studs once again. At this point in our history, the women in this country appear to be much more fit than the men. I think part of the problem is what's in our food, but that clearly isn't a problem for all men. Just look at the NFL.

[eLucida]

09:53 AM on 01/14/2011

It is also very interesting that plasma leptin levels are tied in with insulin sensitivity.

"Fasting Plasma Leptin Level Is a Surrogate Measure of Insulin Sensitivity
Askari et al. 2010. J Clin Metab 95: 3836

"Conclusions: Insulin sensitivity explains about 40% of the variance in fasting leptin levels. Thus, fasting plasma leptin levels probably serve as an endogenous response to ambient insulin resistance and may provide a surrogate measure of insulin action."

[eLucida]

09:47 AM on 01/14/2011

I am very interested in how this diet compares with the results of Teff et al.

In their study, dietary fructose REDUCED leptin levels:

"Dietary Fructose Reduces Circulating Insulin and Leptin, Attenuates Postprandial Suppression of Ghrelin, and Increases Triglycerides in Women"

"Because insulin and leptin, and possibly ghrelin, function as key signals to the central nervous system in the long-term regulation of energy balance, decreases of circulating insulin and leptin and increased ghrelin concentrations, as demonstrated in this study, could lead to increased caloric intake and ultimately contribute to weight gain and obesity during chronic consumption of diets high in fructose."

[afgail]

02:46 AM on 01/14/2011

Signed up for a weight management camp this summer. And to get ready I have started exercising. Also, have found a walking buddy to walk with two days a week. She is about my age and apple shaped too. Both of us are interested in local politics.

[RMankovitz]

01:20 AM on 01/14/2011

Another hormone that has a major impact on fat burning is Human Growth Hormone (HGH). New studies in physiology are beginning to show that a very unique form of exercise is able to naturally increase HGH levels by several hundred percent for several hours after the exercise.

The type of exercise that increases HGH is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), and I like it because it fits closely with my research on how nature evolved us to remain healthy. It is certainly not long distance or long duration exercise, which can depress the immune system and wreak havoc on the skeleton.

The basis of HIIT is to stress yourself physically to the maximum extent possible for about 30 seconds (after an initial warm-up), then cool down for about 90 seconds and repeat the stress for say 5-8 times. That’s it. You can repeat this anaerobic set say two or three times per week. Reported results are somewhat spectacular. Major muscle gain and weight loss not seen in typical aerobic exercising.

There are many HIIT training programs available, and some new exercise equipment is beginning to incorporate the routines into their programs to automate the process. One such example can be found in the book “Ready, Set, Go,” by Phil Campbell.

A description and references on other clues from nature on how to stay healthy can be found in “The Wellness Project.”

Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com
A research organization

[demorick]

09:37 PM on 01/13/2011

Very informative article. I had a stent put in my right coronary artery last year (it was 60% blocked) and I've adjusted my eating habits immensely. A week before the catheterization, I'd purchased the book The Mediterranean Diet to find different ways to eat. I think I'll end up buying this book as a reference to add to my diet.

[HumanBeing2]

09:15 PM on 01/13/2011

I wonder if Dr. Galland or any of the other health contributors could shed some light on suppressing Ghrelin with a minimally invasive method (similar to an endoscopy) with gastric artery chemical embolization as tried by researchers at Johns Hopkins.

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.life-extension/browse_thread/thread/3204e9b65e6f10e9

Please let us know if such procedure is now available and/or if any other research has been done.

[Sharon Hanson]

08:29 PM on 01/13/2011

So nice to read a good article on Huffington Post Health. Thank you, I have read about this hormone before and I think it will add to our knowledge base regarding weight loss.

[Fred Butters]

05:30 PM on 01/13/2011

Great article, and it's nice to see more people addressing the issues of weight loss in an endocrine system, which doesn't always follow those rules of thermodynamics like we'd expect. And anyone who has cut calories to a stressfully low level of partial starvation without losing weight would probably agree, it's not all about calories in versus calories out.

My understanding is that decreasing Omega 6 consumption is a better idea than increasing Omega 3, especially in the form of supplements - which I noticed you didn't recommend - very refreshing by the way.

The advice to increase Omega 3 consumption is going to have benefits for almost all American's though, because the standard America diet (SAD) is so incredibly high in Omega 6, and my understanding is the biggest issue is to have an even ratio of O6:O3. However it seems even better advice is to limit polyunsaturated fat intake as much as possible due mainly to its unstable nature, making it highly susceptible to rancidity.

[Marcus L Wells]

04:49 PM on 01/13/2011

Learining how to enhance the hormone leptin's effect is crucial.But, with it are hormones such as Gherlin which wreaks havoc by causing us to eat tremendously more at night. A now recongized issue is Night Time Eating Syndrome that consists of overeating, obesity, type 2 diabestes and insomnia.Sleep is the time our metabolism goes on auto pilot to rebalance. Hormones like insulin and growth hormone readjust for the next day can be effected by insomnia. Stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisone play a role in this problem and may develop into the Cardio-Metabolic Syndrome with hypertension and high cholesterol.Science is looking how other effectors such as CCK, Secretin G-1P may have on satiety. But, perhaps one of the biggest contributors to this unhealthy pattern effecting lifestyle is the neurochemical serotonin. Often owvereating, insomnia and depression seems to be related to low serotonin. Eating high amounts of carbohydrates temporarily raise it. Maybe by exercising and raising endorphins and encephalins we can improve mood and reduce pain threshold. Exercise controls appetite and stablizes blood sugar. Inflammatory blood factors such as growth factors, cytokines, or tumor necrosis factor may be showing another way excess adipose tissue seems to grow as if almost like a tumor. Leptin will play more of a role to effect another fat in the body that can raise metabolism called brown fat. Unlike white fat it contains many mitochondria that act as engines to burn up fat and balance metabolism.

[HumanBeing2]

03:18 PM on 01/13/2011

Thank you Dr. Galland for such an informative article.

Could you also shed some light on how to suppress Ghrelin? I've heard that Ghrelin can overpower Leptin and/or make it less effective.

Also, I would LOVE to hear some nutritional advise on how to lose weight with a non-residue diet (I've had several small intestine surgeries and I am prone to obstructions if I eat fiber) as I am always hungry and always bloated.

[HerrMonk]

07:08 PM on 01/13/2011

Funny how the same "diet" just happens to be the solution to so many of our modern health problems, isn't it?