Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. Who would have thought starting a new practice would be time consuming?! I’m back (for now) and have several great topics I want to share with you. On the topic of weightloss, I’ll be addressing leptin today. In the past few years, it’s received a lot of attention in regards to weightloss (or lack thereof). Hopefully, I can clear up any confusion you may have about it. I look forward to any comments or questions you may have afterwards.
Leptin is a hormone that is produced by your fat cells (among other cells). It’s a hormone we are just starting to really understand, however, we do realize it plays a large part in the establishment of a person’s set point weight. Unsure of all that is in play to trigger fat cells to produce it, we do know that it signals to your brain that you are satisfied and to stop eating. This signal takes a few minutes (up to 20 minutes by some estimations) to occur after ingesting food. That’s why it’s so important, especially in today’s rush-rush society, that you slow down and take your time eating. This is the first thing I tell patients whose problem is overeating. Give your body time to tell itself it’s full. Another problem that can exist for those who are overweight or obese is that their fat cells are producing leptin, but their brain’s are not getting the signal. The current thought on this is that the signal to your brain from your fat cells has been too strong for too long, so your brain becomes desensitized to the signal. It’s like type 2 diabetes (insulin-resistance). Blood sugar goes up and triggers the pancrease to produce insulin. Insulin transports sugar to the cells. Insulin attaches to receptors on cells and this allows the sugar to go into the cell for energy. If insulin levels stay too high for too long (blood sugar too high for too long), the receptors on the cells become desensitized to the insulin and won’t let it attach (thus not allowing the sugar to get into the cell). In this analogy, insulin is leptin. It’s being produced at too high a level for too long, your brain becomes less sensitive to the signal, resulting in less signal to tell you to stop eating. This explains why you can gain weight and still have the ability to overeat. Your body is unable to establish its set point due to the leptin insensitivity. So…what are you to do? Unfortunately, that’s not so clear at this point. There have been some studies strongly correlating eating fish/fish oil with lower leptin levels. I think it’s a great approach because fish oil is great for so many other problems like: inflammation, arthritis, chronic inflammatory disease, diabetes, etc. These are often associated with increase body fat and obesity. Also, the use of this “good” fat often displaces calories usually reserved for foods high in sugar and saturated fat. So, regardless if it helps lower leptin, it will get you closer to your overall goal of becoming healthy. Also, I’d suggest trying curcumin. It’s the active ingredient in curry and used by many naturopathic doctors to treat inflammation (especially arthritis and tendonitis) and for liver support. In looking at some literature suggesting the potential causes of the overproduction of leptin by fat cells, it seems curcumin could address one of these potential causes (blocking/regulating the production of NF Kappa B). Like fish oil, even if this doesn’t work specifically for lowering leptin levels, it can be very beneficial otherwise. As with either of these (fish oil and curcumin), be sure to consult your naturopathic doctor before starting a regimen. There are some contraindications for each that should be addressed as well as appropriate dosing strategies. In addition, several books about leptin have come out in recent years. Educate yourself about it more. One of the more popular books is “The Leptin Diet” by Byron J. Richards.
This is definitely a complicated aspect of weightloss, one that we’re just beginning to understand. I’m sure this will not be the only time I address it. Stay tuned for more updates.
REMEMBER…it’s YOUR health. No one can be held responsible for it but YOU. Educate yourself.
Until next time…
Dr. May
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