Gaining weight or struggling to shed unwanted pounds? Leptin resistance could be the culprit, says Marcelle Pick. Here’s what you need to know about this common hormone imbalance and what you can do about it for better health
“Remember that old question ‘Can you pinch an inch?’ I’m way beyond that!” That’s what Darlene said to me during her consultation for my weight loss program. “I never used to have belly fat. What happened?” she asked.
Darlene’s story is so familiar to me, and so is the frustration she was feeling. She had tried so many things to lose the body fat that had been slowly but steadily accumulating, especially around her midsection. She’d been on and off diets for years, but nothing seemed to help. She told me she was almost ready to give up.
I’m so glad she found me when she did. Too many women do give up, resigning themselves to life with a body that they don’t love. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And weight loss isn’t just about how you look, or even how you feel about yourself (though, of course, that’s very important).
An appropriate weight is critical to good health in so many ways. And good health is an important piece of the weight loss puzzle. That’s why it can be so tricky—you can’t have one without the other.
Many of the women I work with have imbalances of one kind or another that make losing weight nearly impossible without drastic changes to lifestyle and diet. But although the overall shift is necessary for long-term success, you can’t start there.
The first step is always to identify the root problem. Why is the body resisting weight loss? So many factors can be behind a woman’s inability to maintain a healthy weight. And one hormonal imbalance that’s often missed is leptin resistance.
You can’t change what you don’t know about, which is why it’s so important to know the possibilities. If you can identify leptin resistance as the culprit, you can take steps toward healing.
Leptin is a hormone responsible for letting your brain know that you’re full. Can you see how it would be an issue if your brain never receives that signal? But that’s not all. Leptin also helps regulate metabolism by sending the message to your body that burning off fat is okay.
So what happens when the wrong messages are getting through? Weight gain happens. Your brain says, “Keep on eating,” but your body says, “Hold tight to that fat—we need it so we won’t starve!” When the messages are so backwards, your body kicks into gear, doing exactly the opposite of what you truly need.
Leptin resistance is what we call those misread signals. When this happens, leptin can’t do what it’s meant to do.
The good news is that once you identify leptin resistance as a problem, you can change the signals so the right ones get through.
Leptin was discovered only about 30 years ago, which makes it a newcomer in the science world. That means there are no concrete answers for how it works, but we do have a lot of initial information.
Leptin is produced in fat cells, so it makes sense that it’s connected to obesity. After production it’s released into the bloodstream, where it travels to the brain. It’s supposed to let the brain know you have sufficient energy stored to carry on as usual metabolically.
Ironically, dieting could inadvertently be making the weight problem worse. That’s because when you diet, you eat less. And when you eat less, your body makes less leptin. So the brain might hear, “Danger, starvation is imminent!” and start storing energy as—you guessed it——fat. This continues until leptin levels rise and your brain gets the “Stop eating” message again.
Here’s the big problem: Sometimes your leptin levels are just fine, and you have all the stored energy you need. But the signals your brain is getting tell you to eat everything in sight. Your body just isn’t responding the way it should to the leptin flowing through your bloodstream.
To complicate things further, leptin is also connected to the reward center in your brain. So if your levels are high enough, food is just not as appealing. But with leptin resistance, even when levels are sufficient, the reward system switch is stuck on. Food looks and tastes just as good as it did when you started eating, so you keep going.
Knowing about leptin resistance is step one. Step two is being able to identify when that’s what is happening in your body.
Many imbalances can lead to weight gain and difficulty losing weight, so those problems alone aren’t a clear indication of leptin resistance. Let’s look at a few other signs and symptoms that may point to it.
Very low or high weight. If you’re at least 15 pounds outside a healthy weight range—in either direction—your body may not be responding properly to leptin.1 Being underweight can signal a problem with the way your body responds to leptin as well. When your brain is getting mixed messages, it can go either way.
Very strong or weak appetite. If you find yourself either eating constantly or never eating, that’s another indication that you aren’t processing leptin correctly. Food cravings, especially for junk foods void of nutritional value, are a big sign that you may be experiencing leptin resistance.
If you can’t make it to your next meal without snacking, it’s fairly likely that you’re leptin resistant. And if you’re going for long stretches of time without eating, you may actually be creating problems with leptin, as it sends a frenzied signal for the body to hold on to fat at all costs.
Trouble with stress and sleep. If you’re constantly stressed and can’t sleep at night, you may also have leptin resistance. Stress increases cortisol levels, and chronically high levels of cortisol lead to more stress. It’s another cycle that becomes exceedingly difficult to break.
A high-sugar diet. If you eat a “typical” Western diet filled with sugar, refined carbs, preservatives and chemicals, it’s almost certain you’ll develop leptin resistance eventually.
These foods offer a quick burst of energy, followed by a crash, followed by more eating. It’s a roller coaster ride your body absolutely can’t manage forever. Your body will adapt with leptin resistance, and your brain will think you’re starving.
High leptin in the blood. Testing can also help you identify leptin resistance. High levels of leptin in your blood indicate that your body is overproducing leptin because your brain isn’t interpreting its signals correctly. Elevated inflammation markers may also indicate an issue.
If leptin resistance is a problem for you, you must take steps to address it if you want to lose weight. That means increasing sensitivity to leptin, prompting your body to respond to appropriate leptin levels, and reducing excess production if you already have high levels of leptin in your bloodstream.
While there’s no “easy” fix, there are many diet and lifestyle steps you can take to move things in the right direction. The good news is that these steps are likely to help with weight loss even if leptin resistance is not to blame—unlike more targeted pharmaceutical interventions, which may work only if your leptin levels are already elevated. Try the following to get started.
Know your body. For some, there’s a genetic component. My genetic testing showed me that I have a genetic predisposition to leptin resistance.
Knowing this helps me make better choices about what (and how) I’m eating. I know that even if I don’t feel full, I’ve probably had enough, so I rely more on portion control than the feeling of fullness.
Genetic testing is one great way to see if leptin resistance might be an issue for you. As an added bonus, it can tell you about a lot of other things that can make weight loss tough.
Eat balanced meals. Every meal should include fiber, protein and healthy fat to keep both insulin and leptin levels balanced. Start your day right with a breakfast that includes plenty of protein (eggs are a great choice) and healthy fat. You’ll feel satisfied and ready to tackle the day.
Ease up on sugar. Sugar is problematic for health in myriad ways. As far as leptin goes, there’s a theory that high sugar consumption can lead to high triglyceride levels, which prevents leptin from reaching your brain.
Sugar is everywhere, so reducing how much you eat may not be as simple as you think. Start by reading labels and avoiding products with added sugar.
If you have a real sweet tooth, try fruit to satisfy those cravings; the natural fructose doesn’t cause the same problems unless you’re going way overboard. Or try supplementing with the amino acid 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), which can help stave off sugar cravings.
Say no to snacking. If you find yourself constantly perusing the kitchen for something to snack on, it’s time to recognize that you probably aren’t even hungry. Snacking is a habit that can be so hard to break—but if you have leptin resistance, it’s essential to do so.
When you eat, leptin is released. So if you eat all the time, you produce leptin constantly, and your body learns to disregard it. You want your cells to respond to leptin, not ignore it.
At the same time, you don’t want to limit calories too much. Just eat them at defined intervals instead of constantly throughout the day. Try intermittent fasting, with a span of at least 12 hours without eating (including sleep).
For example, if you eat breakfast at 7:00 a.m., that means you’d finish your last meal by 7:00 p.m. You can also try pushing your breakfast time a little later, especially if you tend to eat dinner on the later side.
Move more, but don’t go overboard. Studies show that exercise helps to regulate leptin2 levels and combats leptin resistance.3 And there are many other good health reasons to increase your activity level. But stress of any kind can work against you as far as leptin goes, so you don’t want to jump into training for a marathon.
If you don’t exercise already, start with gentle stretching, yoga or walking. If you already work out a lot, consider changing your routine. Interval and resistance training are good alternatives to intense cardio workouts as you heal.
Prioritize sleep. Sleep is essential to maintaining a healthy weight. If you’re chronically sleep-deprived, leptin levels may drop, prompting you to eat more when you awaken.
You may even find yourself eating in the middle of the night, which makes sleep even more difficult. Consistent sleep patterns are key since a disrupted circadian rhythm can lead to leptin resistance.4
Stress less. All hormonal balance benefits from reducing the stress in your life. You can’t avoid all stress, of course, but taking time to breathe deeply and quiet your mind is essential. Do something that brings you true joy every single day. Remember that self-care is not selfish.
Support your body with supplements. A healthy diet is critical for maintaining healthy levels of hormones, including leptin. But if you’ve already developed leptin resistance, you might need a bit of extra help. B vitamins, chromium picolinate, L-carnitine, and alpha-lipoic acid are all nutrients that support healthy insulin and leptin levels.
When choosing B vitamins, it’s important to look for them in forms the body can easily use. Many people struggle to process synthetic forms like folic acid and cyanocobalamin, especially if they have a common genetic mutation called MTHFR. Look for folate or folinic acid and methylcobalamin instead.
It’s best to consult with a trusted healthcare professional to determine which supplements and dosages might be right for you. But here are some general guidelines.
Suggested daily dosages
B vitamins: Choose a high-quality B complex supplement and follow the label instructions
Chromium picolinate: 200 mcg
L-carnitine: 500-1,500 mg
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA): 600 mg
Consider Traditional Chinese Medicine. A 2022 study found that TCM treatment, which had previously been shown to help with obesity, might work in part by affecting the leptin resistance pathway.5 Herbal remedies that may play a role include orange peel, lotus leaf, astragalus, ginseng and curcumin. Practitioners usually prescribe two or three remedies together to enhance their effectiveness.
You can reverse leptin resistance
Remember Darlene? She enrolled in my holistic weight loss program, and I taught her everything I’ve discussed here and more. She learned to shift her habits, changed her diet, reduced stress and worked hard to stay on track. Not only did she lose 20 pounds, but that belly fat she’d been pinching? Gone!
The first, most important step in reversing a problem is identifying the root cause of it. Once you know leptin resistance is impacting your life, you can do what Darlene did and make the necessary diet and lifestyle changes to turn things around.
New research is pointing toward ways we might be able to increase the brain’s sensitivity to leptin. For example, a study found that inhibiting an enzyme known as HDAC6 helped to decrease leptin resistance and body weight in obese mice within a matter of weeks. The change also improved metabolism, liver health and glucose tolerance.1
While we don’t yet know how these results will translate to humans, it’s another great indication of just how central leptin is to weight management.
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