Thread: Appetite Hormone Levels May Influence Weight 'Regain'

I read this article from msn health that I think will interest our members here:

Some dieters may be more likely than others to regain any excess pounds they've lost, depending on their particular hormonal makeup, new Spanish research cautions.

A certain combination of appetite hormones leptin and ghrelin appears to predispose some people to weight gain following a diet, the researchers found.

The connection between appetite hormones such as ghrelin and leptin and long-range weight-loss complications stems from work with 104 obese and overweight men and women, all of whom embarked on an eight-week, low-calorie diet.

Before dieting, during the diet, and about four months post-diet, study author Ana Crujeiras and her colleagues measured each participant's body weight and fasting plasma levels of ghrelin, leptin and insulin.

The bottom-line: Those with higher leptin and lower ghrelin levels before dieting were more likely to reacquire the lost weight after the diet ended.

lep·tin: A protein produced by fatty tissue and believed to regulate fat storage in the body

ghrel·in: An enzyme produced by stomach lining cells that stimulates appetite

I appreciate this post mikaela! These are information that many of us don't know. This explains why some dieters gain the weight they lost after the diet ended.

thank so much for starting such a topic.As far as I understand the weight regain is due to our appetite hotmone level.But how can we decrease it? what are the solutions? how can we control lep·tin and ghrel·in?why is this happening when we end our diet?Does anybody have an idea ?

According to what I learned from searching the web about this topic:

According to researchers, diets especially very low calorie diets, cause a rapid decrease in leptin levels circulating in the bloodstream. This lack of leptin is responsible for the increase in appetite often found when we drastically reduce our calorie intake.

However, if leptin can regulate fat mass, why is obesity still prevalent? The 2 possible reasons are leptin resistance and calorie intake.

Most of the obese and overweight people have leptin resistance in which case the body doesn't respond to signals from leptin. The brain loses sensitivity to leptin due to high levels secreted by excess fat and doesn't know when to stop eating. Therefore, leptin resistance is often linked to weight gain or obesity.

High leptin levels are inflammatory and increases our risk of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis and other chronic diseases. Leptin resistance is often caused by excessive consumption of high fructose corn syrup, sugar, high fat foods, refined carbohydrates and processed foods.

Now how does calorie intake impact our leptin levels? Most dieters try to lose weight by drastically cutting down on their calorie intake. Reducing our calorie intake in is not a problem. What is wrong is prolonged calorie restriction that is not sustainable because it causes leptin levels to fall. Low leptin levels have negative impact on energy homeostasis and certain hormones. As the body goes into starvation mode, low leptin levels signal to the brain that the body needs feeding. Energy expenditure is reduced to compensate for the lack of food intake, thus lowering metabolism. This creates a hormonal environment conducive for storing fat. The combined effect of these hormonal changes are lower metabolism and increase in appetite and fat storage.

So, how do you maintain high leptin levels and lose weight at the same time?

• Eat whole, natural foods that consist of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats and lean protein. Avoid foods that cause leptin resistance such as fructose corn syrup, sugar, high fat foods, refined carbohydrates and processed foods.
  
• Never reduce calorie intake by too much and for too long. Instead, consider calorie cycling whereby maintaining a high metabolism while in a calorie deficit. Cycle calories by being in a deficit for 3 days and then increasing calorie intake to maintenance level for 1 day. Repeat this cycle until you've lost enough fat. Calorie cycling is effective for burning fat without sabotaging your metabolism.
  
• Regular exercise helps to boost your metabolism and burn fat. Follow a workout program that includes resistance and cardio training. A combination of healthy eating and consistent workout is the key to managing your leptin levels and losing weight.

I know you'll love this post. I was actually surprised when I read about this because I don't know much about leptin and ghrelin but thought I'd share it will you all because it very informative and helpful. This somehow gives us a better idea why we don't lose weight or regain the weight we lost.