The hormones leptin, insulin, oestrogens, androgens and growth hormone influence our appetite, metabolism and body fat distribution. People who are obese have hormone levels that encourage the accumulation of body fat.
The function of various hormones in regulating appetite and satiety is to maintain energy homeostasis. Multiple hormones such as ghrelin, leptin, cholecystokinin, and other peptides all relay peripheral signals to the hypothalamus.
For this article, we will focus on the 3 major players: Leptin, Ghrelin, and Neuropeptide Y (NPY). These 3 hormones are the major players when it comes to long and short-term hunger levels.
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.
Known as the 'hunger hormone', ghrelin stimulates your appetite by signalling to your brain it's time to eat. As well as making you want to eat more food, it also promotes fat storage. Ghrelin is produced in the stomach with smaller amounts secreted by the brain, small intestine and pancreas.
Hormones play an important role in regulating hunger and satiety. The 5 main hormones involved in hunger include leptin, ghrelin, GLP-1, cortisol, and insulin.
Leptin is a hormone produced naturally in the body that helps regulate feelings of satiety (fullness or hunger). Because of this, marketers commonly promote leptin supplements as a weight-loss aid. But these supplements don't actually contain leptin, which means they're unlikely to lead to weight loss.
Since leptin is a hormone your body makes and not a nutrient (like vitamin C or protein), no foods contain leptin. Since leptin is a relatively new discovery, scientists are still working to learn more about it, including how it affects obesity and weight loss.
Leptin isn't a vitamin or mineral. You can't absorb it from a pill. In fact, “leptin supplements” don't contain any actual leptin. If they did, your stomach would simply digest them before they could have any effect on your body.
Low leptin levels can cause you to never feel satisfied after eating and to feel hungry all the time. Obviously, this can lead to cravings. Leptin also increases cortisol that leads to additional hormone imbalance. Insulin: Produced in the pancreas, insulin is the hormone that regulates your blood sugar levels.
High fiber foods stretch your stomach and balance your hunger hormones. Adding protein to your meals helps with satiety by improving leptin sensitivity. Add healthy fats to your meals as well. Foods that contain omega 3 like fatty fish, chia and flax seeds and nuts will boost leptin and keep ghrelin in check.
Sleep. Sleep has a major impact on your cortisol and ghrelin levels. Getting a good night's sleep on a regular basis will help to decrease your cortisol and keep your ghrelin levels balanced and in check.
You don't get usable leptin from food, and there's no evidence that specific foods help boost the hormone. But a poor diet or extra pounds may make the hormone less effective (leptin resistance). A healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise may help keep this problem at bay.
In the present study, low vitamin C concentrations were associated with obesity and with higher leptin concentrations. In contrast, high vitamin A concentrations were associated with high leptin concentrations.
Usually, a pediatrician will order a blood test, and that will flag if a leptin deficiency is the issue. In those cases, doctors may prescribe a leptin supplement to help regulate the hormone in the child's body, Stanford says.
Elevated leptin levels are associated with obesity, overeating, and inflammation-related diseases, including high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease [5].
The hypothalamus acts as the control center for hunger and satiety. Part of the hypothalamus, the arcuate nucleus (or, in humans, the infundibular nucleus), allows entry through the blood-brain barrier of peripheral peptides and proteins that directly interact with its neurons.
According to nutritionist Rashi Chowdhary, you need to reset three hormones — prolactin, insulin and thyroid antibodies — for optimal fat loss.