Popular diets tend to fade away quickly due to the ordinary fundamentals of weight loss, such as reducing caloric intake and exercising religiously. But when these rituals cease, we end up gaining the weight back, or worse, gaining more weight then we have lost. Why is this a problem in the world of dieting? What can we do to help increase weight loss and keep it off?
What is Leptin?
Studies have shown the reason why some people have difficulty losing weight and keeping it off is leptin resistance. What is leptin? Leptin is a key hormone in the body that regulates caloric intake and distributes it for proper absorption. Leptin and insulin, another important hormone, work in contingent with one another. If there are any resistance associated with one or both of these hormones, there can be a high risk of obesity and/or serious diseases.
To put it in layman's terms, leptin resistance allows your body to become less responsive to the hormone. This is caused by eating foods that are high in sugar, processed foods, and grains. When sugar is processed in our body, high levels of leptin are released in the body. Over a period of time, especially as we age, the levels of leptin are reduced and the brain cannot process information properly to the areas of the body where fat is stored. When this happens, the metabolism in the body is significantly reduced and the energy intake turns to more fat instead of burning fat. This is why some people have a difficult time losing weight and keeping it off.
Does Leptin Resistance Also Accelerate Tumor Growth in Cancer?
As mentioned, obesity is the major factor of serious diseases. Cancer is the most common disease associated with leptin and insulin resistance. Studies show that obese cancer patients are more likely to experience more tumor growth compared to non-obese patients. White fat cells, which stores energy, travel through the bloodstream carrying oxygen and nutrients. When the white fat cells reach the location of the tumor, the oxygen and nutrients feeds it which increases its growth. Using this finding, cancer researchers are developing new ways to block these cells to stop further growth of tumors while enhancing existing methods of cancer treatments.
White fat cells are a negative factor in obesity and cancer, while brown fat cells are a positive factor, which burns energy instead of storing it. It has been proven that people who are likely to have more brown fat cells are slender people, younger people, and people with normal blood sugar levels. Researchers are developing medicines to convert white fat cells to brown fat cells to aid in weight loss and improving cancer treatments, but it can be done naturally. Exercising regularly and eating foods to increase levels of leptin will help to increase the conversion of white fat cells to brown cells, and help to improve weight loss.
In conclusion, leptin is the key component to losing weight. Low levels of leptin have been proven to increase the risks of serious diseases such as cancer. To increase your leptin levels, find foods that are enriched with healthy nutrients such as protein, zinc, and omega-3. Avoid carbohydrates at all cost. Exercising regularly will help to properly absorb these nutrients from your new diet.
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