Stimulate a Leptin Response in Your Body

Leptin is a protein made by fat cells to regulate energy levels. This hormone does its task by telling the brain when you are satiated, or "full," allowing your body to use energy at normal levels. When leptin is released the feeling of hunger dissipates; when leptin levels are low, the body starts to signal hunger; however, for many (often due to the excess of fat cells associated with obesity) the release of leptin is not received by the brain and the signal of being "full" is not triggered. As such, for those who wish to control their body weight, leptin hormone control is important. Knowing how to stimulate a leptin response in your body can help you curb your hunger.

Steps

Exercising to Stimulate Leptin

1. Do exercises that target fat cells. Simply shedding numbers on a scale will not be good enough if you want to improve your body's leptin response. You'll need to burn off as many fat cells as you can. Although obese people have leptin in their system, their appetites are rarely quenched because they have developed a resistance to leptin, or a leptin resistance, via their fat cells.
   • Leptin regulates metabolism and appetite — as leptin levels rise your appetite diminishes and your metabolic rate increases.
2. Perform cardiovascular/aerobic exercises on a daily basis. Cardiovascular exercise is any workout that increases oxygen intake, while aerobic exercises increase blood flow. Often these activities coincide. Simply walking 30 minutes every day can burn enough fat to trigger a leptin response. Ideally, do a high level of sustained activity that increases oxygen intake and blood flow.
   • Shoot for 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week. This is about 2 ½ hours weekly.
   • The burning of fat cells releases the leptin that was stored in them. Additionally, this kind of exercise increases the overall amount of active leptin receptors.
   • As an added benefit, cardiovascular exercise also boosts your metabolism (which has to do with the rate at which you burn calories) if you vary your routine.
   • Your max heart rate when exercising is roughly 220 - your age (so if you're 35, 220 - 35 = 185 beats per minute). You can exercise up to 80% of you max heart rate for best cardiovascular training.
3. Perform weight resistance exercises on a daily basis. Lifting weights regularly burns off fat cells and calories and strengthens your muscles. An increase in muscle mass has been shown to improve metabolism, which aids in the burning of fat cells and the release of leptin into the system.
   • One weight resistance routine you can do without needing any expensive weights or a gym membership is the "Tone Up All Over" strength routine, which has the following moves: the squat to overhead press; single-leg dumbbell row; step-up with bicep curl; dolphin plank; curtsy lunge; and superman.
4. Do short bursts of High-Intensity exercises. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of anaerobic exercise in which you perform short bursts of workout at maximum intensity (sometimes for as little time as twenty seconds) with periods of less-intense movement for recovery.
   • HIIT encourages the natural release of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which helps with fat burning and the regulation of leptin.
   • Some popular HIIT workouts are CrossFit, Fartlek, and the Seven-Minute Workout.
   • Try and get two to three strength training workouts in every week.

Changing Your Diet

1. Eat more dark-colored fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables with dark skins are excellent sources of phytonutrients, such as carotenoids and flavonoids, which are anti-inflammatory agents that help oxidation in and the body and increase levels of leptin.
   • Carrots, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, winter squash and papaya are all excellent sources of carotenoids.
   • Blueberries, cherries, pomegranate, citrus fruits, green tea, onions and dark chocolate are all excellent sources of flavonoids.
2. Consume more omega-3 fatty acids. Not all fats are harmful to your body. Omega-3 fatty acids have a unique chemical structure and they are good for you when consumed in moderate amounts. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to the proper functioning of the body and brain. Omega-3 promote healing and decrease inflammation as well as being involved in a wide range of cellular activities, most notably neurological development and functioning.
   • Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, green and leafy vegetables, nuts and beans. The consumption of omega-3 fatty acids aids in the reduction of blood vessel inflammation, which improves the body's ability to respond to leptin.
   • Selected food sources of omega-3 fatty acids include vegetable oils such as soybean, canola, flax seed oils. Fish oils, fatty fish, and to a lesser extent meats and eggs contain omega-3 fatty acids.
   • The recommended daily allowance of omega-3 fatty acid is between 1.1 – 1.6 grams per day for females and males, respectively.
3. Opt for flavor that is naturally nutritious. Many food producers overload their products with salt and sugar as a means of covering up the tasteless nature of artificial food. Even the diet varieties (e.g., Diet Coke) rely on sugar substitutes to mask unsavory flavors. Because of this, unnaturally processed foods lack the necessary nutrients and properties that the body requires, resulting in a deficient leptin response.
   • Instead of fast and processed food, go for foods that are naturally rich in flavor like grains, vegetables, and nutrient-rich fruits.
   • Use natural herbs that will add a kick to your meals such as sage, thyme and basil instead of artificially flavored foods.
4. Lower your triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are a major contributor to leptin resistance by inhibiting the transportation of leptin across the blood-brain barrier. To increase leptin sensitivity, decrease your intake of triglycerides.
   • Lower triglycerides by maintaining a healthy weight, limiting fat and sugar intake, maintaining an active lifestyle, not smoking and limiting alcohol.
   • Certain medications may also contribute to high triglyceride levels, as well as genetic factors.
   • One supplement that is known to reduce triglyceride levels in Niacin, or vitamin B 3. Niacin has been know to lower both cholesterol and triglycerides. This will help with cardiovascular functioning and lower cardiovascular risk levels.

Further Lifestyle Changes

1. Get a good night's sleep every night. There's a lot of debate among people in health science about the best ways to lose weight and keep it off, but everyone agrees that getting adequate sleep is essential. Likewise, getting enough sleep is essential to regulating leptin. Aim for at least seven to nine hours each night.
   • Scientific study has shown that those who didn't get enough sleep had leptin levels 15% lower than those who had.
   • Not getting enough sleep means you'll have a stronger appetite that is harder to satisfy the next day and throws your whole body out of energy homeostasis, or the balance between energy input and expenditure, which is what leptin is trying to promote.
   • Improve your sleep by practicing good sleep hygiene.
2. Stay hydrated. Most people know that drinking water is important but as much as 75 percent of Americans may be chronically dehydrated. Staying hydrated helps with digestion, mood and controlling hunger, but also contributes to how easily the body absorbs nutrients and vitamins. As such, constant dehydration is likely to severely inhibit your sensitivity to leptin and increase your resistance to it. Stay hydrated to reverse this.
   • Drink at least eight to ten cups of water, or 64 to 80 ounces, every day.
   • This may seem like a lot, but if you carry a refillable water bottle with you throughout your day, you'll be surprised at how quickly you can get your daily dose.
   • Avoid alcohol and beverages with caffeine. Do not count them to your daily water intake.
3. Consider taking supplements. While there are a number of supplements you can find online that claim to give you more leptin, these are misleading, as leptin doesn't actually enter the bloodstream and so cannot be taken as a supplement. However, there are supplements you can take to encourage leptin sensitivity and/or decrease leptin resistance.
   • Irvingia is a supplement made from mango extract that can improve leptin sensitivity, among other beneficial effects. If you are over 18 you can take 150 mg a day with food.
   • Antioxidants can be taken as supplements such as Taurine and Acetyl L-Carnitine supplements to help decrease leptin resistance.Grapes, blueberries, nuts, dark green veggies and sweet potatoes are all some natural sources of antioxidants.
   • As always, consult your doctor before taking any new supplement. While most people equate supplements or natural remedies with being harmless, supplements can interact with other medications and cause serious reactions, so it's important you talk to your doctor first.
4. Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Studies seem to indicate that smoking and alcohol consumption can inhibit leptin secretion. Additionally, overconsumption of alcohol impairs judgment, which can lead to bad decision about eating, which can further inhibit leptin stimulation.
   • Check How to Quit Smoking and How to Quit Drinking Alcohol for help.

Tips

• Note that all the steps above to stimulate a leptin response are also the keys for living a healthy lifestyle. This is not a coincidence.

Sources and Citations

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