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Leptin Hormone Plays Key Role In Losing Weight

by Medindia Content Team on Dec 2 2005 6:43 PM

A research team of scientists at the Columbia University have found out as to why it is easier to gain weight when compared to keeping it off. The key to this is the leptin hormone which controls the appetite. The hormone helped people to avoid putting on weight after having lost it.

Over 85% of the obese people who had lost weight, ended up regaining weight, according to estimates, because the metabolic thermostat of the body is reset upward automatically. When people lose weight, their leptin production decreases, and increased leptin levels result in people regaining the lost weight.

The restoration of the leptin levels result in more weight being gained. The human appetite is also reported to be controlled by leptin levels. Injections of leptin help obese people lose weight, when the subjects concerned are deficient in the hormone, while this does not work on obese people who have normal leptin levels. This discovery may ultimately result in the development of new drugs to keep the weight in check, targeting the leptin system.

The human genome is reported to be enriched with genes which help to retain body fat. Continuous physical activity helps in losing body weight. Daily injections of the hormone leptin serves to help people maintain their weight loss. Obesity can be countered effectively only by naturally changing the metabolism, and the leptin injections show promise of this being attained. Leptin contributes towards regulating appetite and weight.


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