Want To Lose Weight? Check Leptin Sensitivity

What is Leptin?

According to the National Library of Medicine, leptin is a peptide hormone that’s released from adipose (fat) tissue. It is encoded by the what’s known in the literature as the obese (ob) gene. (1) Moreover, it is capable of effectively reducing food intake and body weight. It’s actually secreted by the adipose tissue in direct relation to the amount of body fat. (2)

Leptin is credited for playing a part in regulating appetite, impacting neuroendocrine function, and regulating energy homeostasis. This hormone was discovered only recently (1994), and recent findings regarding leptin show us that it impacts several other physiological processes. (3)

Other systemic processes that leptin influences include metabolism, endocrine regulation, and immune function. Since leptin is still a relatively new discovery, studies continue to come out, present-day, that give us a better idea of how far reaching its implications are. (2)

What is Leptin Resistance?

Having leptin resistance means that the stored energy on your body is not appropriately communicating to your brain. This metabolic state impacts your hormonal health, thyroid function, metabolism, mood, sleep, and much more.

In the literature, leptin resistance refers to state in which leptin fails to promote its anticipated effects. Leptin resistance is closely linked with obesity and is interestingly also shown in physiological situations such as pregnancy and in seasonal animals. (5) Dr. Jack Kruse, one of the world’s top neurosurgeons, also educates on how leptin levels have a huge role in the onset of puberty. (6)

According to board-certified quantum health educator and trailblazer in the circadian health movement, Sarah Kleiner, leptin resistance interestingly occurs as a precursor to insulin resistance (issues with blood sugar regulation), and she states that many of the symptoms experienced are commonly written off as getting older or “hormonal.” (4)

Sarah cohosts a podcast with Dr. Carrie Bennett (fellow circadian health expert), where they shed light on the concept that inflammation is a message from your body that something in your environment needs to be changed before it presents you with a bigger issue. Systemic dysregulation such as insulin resistance and leptin resistance both are associated with inflammation. Thus, we can learn by getting curious about potential biological mismatches to get to the root of the issue.

What Are Symptoms Leptin Resistance?

According to Dr. Sara Pugh and Sarah Kleiner (7, 8), some signs of leptin resistance include:

-Being a poor sleeper

-Having insulin resistance

-Being diabetic

-When exercise makes you more puffy/inflamed

-Needing coffee to feel energized for basic tasks

-Having high cortisol and high stress

-Needing sunglasses every time you go outside

-High blood sugar (even on carnivore diet)

-Thyroid issues

-Fertility problems

-Having High Reverse T3 and/or thyroid issues

-Incessant cravings

-Inability to lose weight (even with no or low carb & fasting)

What Causes Leptin Resistance?

Some lifestyle habits and ways of modern living can contribute to leptin resistance, and they include:

-Low protein, high-fat, high-carbohydrate diets (14)

-Chronic, excessive exposure to artificial light at night

-Insufficient natural, unfiltered sunlight during the day

-Inefficient mitochondria

-Always in a temperature-controlled room (never seeking hot or cold temperatures) as this decreases mitochondrial output

-Disregulated body clock & circadian rhythm (9)

How to Reverse Leptin Resistance

According to Dr. Jack Kruse and other literature sources, you can reverse leptin resistance with some consistent efforts regarding light environment and diet (10, 11, 12, 14, 15):

-Watch as many sunrises as possible

-Eat a protein-rich meal within 30 minutes of waking (between 30-50g of protein)

-Include a sufficient source of protein with each meal

-Get outside in natural sunlight in “light breaks” throughout the day

-Allow 4-5 hours between dinner and bedtime; this allows leptin to dock to the hypothalamus at the appropriate nighttime hour. It also optimizes melatonin utilization

-Limit artificial light exposure at night

Also (and encouragingly), a 2022 study shows that sulforaphane helps to reverse leptin resistance. You can find sulforaphane in a functional, bioavailable dose in BrocElite. (13)

Extra Credit: Cold & Heat Exposure to Improve Leptin Levels

With cold plunges becoming more popular than ever in the mainstream in the biohacking community, it’s important to know that it’s not all hype. There is validity to this craze and also different pathways activated than the ones that are predominantly talked about & boasted.

It’s not just about bringing down inflammation and high-level athletes recovering after a tough workout. Studies show that cold exposure affects leptin signaling which results in a lower body fat and reduced urge for food consumption. This is because adipose tissue is considered an endocrine organ that produces hormone-active substances, including leptin, which play a key role in thermoregulation processes.

Other studies also show improvements regarding insulin sensitivity after cold exposure. (16, 17, 18) In addition, heat therapy via sauna usage has been shown to improve both insulin and leptin levels. (19)

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537038/
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6893721/
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3413641/
4. https://www.instagram.com/p/DCjzGDeueBf/
5. https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/241/3/JOE-18-0606.xml
6. https://jackkruse.com/central-leptin-dominance-part-2/
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=r2ISXn55U6M&t=0s
8. https://www.instagram.com/p/DCjzGDeueBf/
9. https://www.instagram.com/p/DCe-BUryxeU/?img_index=1
10. https://jackkruse.com/leptin-reset-easy-start-guide/
11. https://jackkruse.com/chapter-one-on-leptin/
12. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8L4UfST/
13. https://elifesciences.org/articles/67368
14. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.749050/full
15. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3440859/
16. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00581/full
17. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7143756/
18. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/1/46
19. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306456523001924