Timetable
6234 5969
We often hear people blaming their weight gain on their hormones. Can weight gain really be blamed on the endocrine system or is the cause due to food and lifestyle choices?
Many people have a vague idea of the function of hormones but have little knowledge of the specific hormones which may be affecting hunger, appetite, and weight.
Here is a summary of some hormones which can affect your weight.
Leptin – a satiety hormone
• When you eat your fat cells secrete leptin, a hormone that signals satiety and lets you know that you have eaten enough. It’s self-regulating, however many of us override leptin and continue to eat when we are no longer hungry! This results in leptin resistance.
• You can overcome leptin resistance by exercising, losing weight and maintaining muscle.
Ghrelin
• When your stomach is empty it releases ghrelin. Foods containing fructose, such as fruit juice, corn syrup, soft drinks and almost all sweet tasting food stimulate the production of ghrelin, resulting in feelings of hunger and more food consumption.
• Skipping meals, eating too little, eating infrequently, or consuming too much fructose makes it worse by causing ghrelin to make you crave poor food choices.
Incretins and Insulin
• Incretins are a group of metabolic hormones that are released after eating. They stimulate a decrease in blood glucose levels by triggering the secretion of insulin.
• High carbohydrate intake leads to high levels of blood glucose and in turn high levels of incretins and insulin.
• A long term result of excess sugar/carb intake may be a resistance to insulin, which means it can’t do its job as effectively and so more must be produced. More insulin means that more fat is stored, and it becomes more difficult to move that fat out of storage, i.e.: lose weight.
There are other hormones such as glucagon, cortisol, serotonin, and oxytocin which we will discuss in the next edition, however if you are wanting to lose some weight try the quiz below.
The quiz covers:
1. Goals you would like to achieve
2. Reasons why you might be struggling to lose weight
3. What you’ve tried in the past
4. Options that might suit you best
Register at the end of this quiz and we will email your summary to you.
Click the link below to start the quiz…
