Leptin and Managing Metabolism

September 28, 2011

In 1994, Dr. Jeffery M. Friedman discovered the hormone Leptin and its role in managing metabolism. Understanding how to manage your Leptin levels is a secret the $60.9 billion weight loss industry (2010 data according Marketdata), does not want you to know.
What is Leptin? A hormone produced by fat cells that communicates directly with your brain and is the primary force instructing thyroid, adrenals, hunger, and metabolism. Leptin tells your brain how much fat is stored in the body.
How does it work? The dominant role of leptin is to signal the brain when an energy deficiency is present in the body. The amount of leptin circulating in the body is proportional to the amount of fat an individual has. Meaning if you are overweight, your body produces too much leptin. This eventually wears down the receptors in your brain that control hunger and metabolism making the receptors unable to recognize and process the leptin hormone. This leads to overeating, food cravings, slow metabolism and weight gain.
Four tips for managing Leptin levels:
1. Never eat late a night. Eat Dinner and Stop. You need to have at least 11-12 hours between dinner and breakfast.
2. Eat three (3) meals per day with 4-5 hours between. Many of us have heard that eating 5-6 small meals throughout will boost your metabolism. You should eat when you’re hungry and stop eating when you’re no longer hungry. However, know that Leptin is released every time you eat and if your leptin levels are already high, you are dumping more of this hormone into your blood stream your body can handle. Another reason for the four- five-hour break is that the first 3 hours after eating, your body is digesting and storing energy from the food…give your body a chance to work on what it has.
3. Do not eat large meals. Eating too much, releases large amounts of insulin in to your body and will eventually lead to the same effect caused by excess leptin. Your body will begin to ignore the insulin and reduce the effectiveness of this hormone in regulating glucose levels.
4. Eat a high-protein low GI breakfast. Eating eggs/egg whites, low-fat cheese, Greek yogurt, seeds, nuts, and Steel Cut oats for breakfast helps regulate your blood sugar levels. A high-carb breakfast can lead to overeating throughout the day. The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Choosing low GI carbs - produces only small fluctuations in our blood glucose and insulin levels. You can search the internet for more info on low GI foods.