Some evidence suggests that estrogen hormone therapy increases a woman's resting metabolic rate. This might help slow weight gain. Lack of estrogen may also cause the body to use starches and blood sugar less effectively, which would increase fat storage and make it harder to lose weight.
Estrogen. Estrogen is directly involved in metabolism and maintaining a healthy weight, including helping to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. When your estrogen levels drop, your metabolic rate declines and your body begins to store fat. In other words, you gain weight.
Leptin. What it is: Leptin is derived from the Greek word for “thin,” because rising levels of this hormone signal the body to shed body fat. Leptin also helps regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, fertility and more.
What does leptin do? Leptin is made by the adipose tissue (fat-storing cells) in your body. Its main role is to regulate fat storage and how many calories you eat and burn. Leptin released from adipose cells travels to the brain via the bloodstream.
The hormone leptin is produced by fat cells and is secreted into our bloodstream. Leptin reduces a person's appetite by acting on specific centres of their brain to reduce their urge to eat. It also seems to control how the body manages its store of body fat.
Additionally, improving dietary choices, increasing physical activity, getting more sleep, managing stress levels effectively, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol are all ways to decrease and avoid hormonal weight gain.
Many women also notice an increase in belly fat as they get older — even if they aren't gaining weight. This is likely due to a decreasing level of estrogen, which appears to influence where fat is distributed in the body.
Can estrogen levels affect weight gain? Many women report that changing estrogen levels affect their weight, particularly around menopause. They may notice that they are gaining weight, or that it is more difficult to lose weight. Some forms of estrogen are linked with how the body controls weight gain.
Many women actually find that they lose weight by using HRT as it shifts the metabolism back into a pre-menopausal metabolic state. Progesterone can sometimes cause fluid retention which can mimic weight gain, but there are alterations that can be made to the regime to minimise this impact.
Estrogen dominance causes several issues in the body, but most women will find that it can be extremely difficult, and almost impossible, to lose weight as a result of estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance causes fat gain, water retention, and bloating, and puts women at a higher risk for obesity.
A hormonal imbalance called Cushing Syndrome is characterized by excess cortisol levels and may cause weight gain, especially in the chest, stomach, and face.
It plays an important role in weight regulation ( 1 ). In recent years, leptin supplements have become quite popular. They claim to decrease appetite and make it easier for you to lose weight. However, the effectiveness of supplementing with the hormone is controversial.
Share on Pinterest Researchers say leptin gene therapy may be more effective than dieting for long-term weight loss. In a new study published in the Journal of Endocrinology, researchers describe how injecting a gene into the brain that codes for the hormone leptin may curb overeating, leading to long-term weight loss.
Vitamin A was positively associated with leptin (p < 0.05). When stratifying by BMI, % body fat and waist circumference, high leptin concentrations were associated with lower zinc and lower vitamin C concentrations in women with obesity (p < 0.05) and higher vitamin A concentrations in women without obesity (p < 0.01).
Consuming a well-balanced diet, completing moderate physical activity and getting enough sleep is the best way to improve leptin resistance and encourage weight loss.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.