The hormone leptin: how to lower your hormone levels
The content of the article:
- Function of leptin in the body
- Under what conditions is the hormone leptin elevated?
- Determination of leptin levels
- How You Can Reduce Blood Leptin With Diet
Leptin is a peptide hormone that belongs to adipose tissue hormones (adipokines) and regulates energy metabolism. It is a protein that consists of 167 amino acid residues and is produced by adipose tissue cells (adipocytes).
Function of leptin in the body
The hormone has anorexigenic effect, that is, it suppresses appetite, since it blocks the synthesis of neuropeptide Y in the hypothalamus, which is involved in the formation of hunger).
Under physiological conditions, leptin inhibits the production of insulin, and the latter stimulates the synthesis of leptin by acting on adipose tissue. It also increases the sensitivity of muscle and liver cells to the action of insulin. Since an increased concentration of leptin suppresses insulin synthesis and promotes the development of insulin resistance in cells of insulin-dependent tissues, the hormone is considered as a factor in the pathogenesis of type II diabetes.
The main physiological role of leptin is to reduce the synthesis of high-energy molecules and increase energy expenditure. The mechanism of action is to transmit information about fat metabolism and body weight to the hypothalamus. The interaction of the hormone with receptors in the hypothalamic region activates the production of nerve impulses directed to the areas of the brain that are responsible for the regulation of appetite.
The hormone leptin, by influencing the hypothalamus, is responsible for the regulation of appetite and energy expenditure
The hypothesis is considered, according to which leptin takes part in the adaptation of the human body to starvation, taking into account such functions as mobilization of the body's energy resources (achieved by suppressing reproductive function and increased synthesis of glucocorticoids), as well as reducing energy expenditure by reducing the synthesis of thyroid hormones and heat production … In therapeutic fasting and anorexia nervosa, it is the low concentration of leptin that causes neuroendocrine and metabolic changes.
The concentration of leptin reflects changes in energy metabolism (when overeating, its level rises, and when starving, it decreases), which serves as a signal for the body to adapt to changed conditions, namely, to switch from carbohydrate to fat metabolism in case of starvation.
Leptin has a stimulating effect on the sympathetic nervous system, which causes an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and increased heat transfer. As a result, a large amount of energy stored in the form of lipids in adipose tissue is converted into heat.
Leptin affects the synthesis of steroid hormones in the ovaries, is involved in the regulation of the menstrual cycle in women - with a significant deficiency, ovulation and menstruation stop. The concentration of the hormone serves as a physiological indicator of the sufficiency of energy resources for the implementation of reproductive function. In puberty, its amount in the blood increases.
With age, the amount of leptin produced in the body decreases, which causes a rapid increase in body weight. A decrease in the concentration of the hormone in women is also associated with excessive physical exertion, for example, when playing sports. Lack of leptin can lead to the development of hypopituitarism, characterized by a decrease or complete cessation of the production of hormones by the pituitary gland.
Losing weight by 10% causes a decrease in leptin concentration by 53%, and a 10% increase in body weight increases serum leptin concentration by 300%. In such patients, an increased level of the hormone is associated with resistance to it, which is explained by a violation of its transfer by transport proteins or perception by receptors. However, if the patient is overweight, which is associated with a genetic deficiency of leptin, its concentration in the patient's blood is reduced. With congenital hormone deficiency, severe obesity develops.
The clinical significance of determining the level of leptin, first of all, lies in identifying risk factors for cardiovascular pathology, the pathogenesis of obesity, as well as predicting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Under what conditions is the hormone leptin elevated?
Despite the fact that leptin acts as a factor contributing to weight loss, in people who are obese, its level in the blood is often significantly increased. Parenteral administration of an exogenous hormone does not have any clinical effect. It is assumed that there is a violation of other components of the signaling pathway, and the body tries to compensate for this by increasing the level of its own leptin production. It follows from this that the hormone can be used to treat obesity only in certain cases, for example, in obesity caused by a mutation in the OB gene.
According to a number of studies, the relationship between the level of leptin in the blood and pathologies of the cardiovascular system exists regardless of other provoking factors (hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, smoking, etc.) and is explained by the effect of the hormone on the elasticity of blood vessels. Excessive concentration of the hormone increases the likelihood of thrombosis, which is due to the interaction between leptin and its receptors located on platelets.
An increased level of the hormone in women is observed during menstruation, after artificial insemination, during pregnancy, with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Determination of leptin levels
For the analysis, blood sampling is carried out in the morning on an empty stomach, after the last meal, at least 8 hours should pass. On the eve of the study, fatty foods should be excluded from the diet. If you take any medications in the form of tablets or injections, you should inform your doctor about this (insulin and nicotine can distort the results upward, caffeine, testosterone can downward).
A blood test for leptin is performed to identify the causes of a violation of fat metabolism
The normal level of leptin in the blood in men is 2.05–5.63 ng / ml, in women, the normal level is 3.63–11.1 ng / ml. The higher concentration in women is probably due to the difference in the distribution of adipose tissue in males and females, since the rate of production of this hormone depends on this.
Laboratory determination of leptin levels is indicated in the following cases:
- suspicion of a genetically determined deficiency of this hormone;
- as part of a comprehensive study of obesity or, conversely, weight loss;
- impaired fertility (especially against the background of excessive physical exertion and malnutrition);
- identification of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases;
- diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus;
- recurrent thrombosis.
How You Can Reduce Blood Leptin With Diet
For patients with elevated leptin, diet is indicated.
The diet includes foods high in protein (cottage cheese, eggs, boiled meat). It is recommended to have breakfast no later than an hour after waking up. 30–40% of your daily protein intake should be eaten at breakfast to reduce your cravings for simple carbohydrates.
It is recommended to include in the diet:
- foods rich in zinc, since a lack of it in the body leads to the development of tissue insulin resistance and a decrease in sensitivity to leptin. These include beef, liver, wheat bran, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, flaxseeds, etc.;
- foods rich in magnesium - buckwheat and oat groats, millet, beans, peas, cashews, almonds, peanuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts;
- foods containing omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids - fish and seafood, nuts, seeds, oat and wheat germ, cauliflower, spinach, leeks, purslane leaves, avocados, vegetable oils.
These groups of products can both increase the sensitivity to the hormone and prevent the development of atherosclerosis.
With elevated leptin, foods high in magnesium are indicated
At the same time, you should limit or exclude the use of fast food, pastries, sweets, sugary non-alcoholic carbonated drinks, as these products contribute to the development of leptin tolerance, followed by impaired liver function and rapid weight gain.
Vitamin D is needed to restore sensitivity to leptin. For this reason, walking in sunny weather is recommended. One of the conditions for the normalization of hormonal levels is a full (at least 7-8 hours in a row) night sleep.
YouTube video related to the article:
Anna Aksenova Medical journalist About the author
Education: 2004-2007 "First Kiev Medical College" specialty "Laboratory Diagnostics".
Found a mistake in the text? Select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
