We often don’t consider the fact that our waistlines can affect our mood. Yet, obesity and depression often go hand in hand-and the emotional slump that occurs due to weight gain goes beyond that sad feeling you get when you see the numbers on the scale keep on rising. New research is showing that unbalanced levels of a lesser-known hormone may be part of the reason why your expanding waistline is leaving you blue.
Leptin-commonly called the "hunger hormone"-is an appetite-controlling molecule synthesized by your fat cells that tells your body when it’s time to stop eating. But while you might think higher levels of leptin would be a good thing, the exact opposite is true. Chronically elevated leptin levels point to a problem with leptin resistance-a condition in which your body isn’t responding to this hormone’s commands the way that it should. As a result, your brain can’t tell you when you’re full… and your weight balloons because of it.
Recent studies show, however, that your weight isn’t the only aspect of your health that suffers in response to unbalanced leptin levels. Your mood could be in for a nosedive, too.
One 2009 study indicated that women who suffer from depressive disorder show higher serum levels of leptin than their healthier female counterparts, along with lower levels of adiponectin-another protein hormone that acts along with leptin to keep you lean.1 Another study revealed the same pattern in women with chronic mild depression.2
Further research has confirmed this connection, with studies showing that leptin is significantly higher in depressed subjects, irrespective of body mass index (BMI) or reports of weight loss, indicating that leptin may be the culprit behind the depression rather than the weight itself. In fact, results show that leptin imbalances may correlate with elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as well.3 What’s more, one study even found that individuals with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) also struggle with leptin sensitivity-a factor that could explain the depression, higher caloric intake, and increased carbohydrate cravings that affect this population in the wintertime.4
So what can you do if you suspect that your leptin and adiponectin levels might be out of kilter? A patented combination of acacia gum polysaccharides and esterified fatty acids is one natural and clinically researched way that you can use to help restore balanced levels of both of these critical fat-fighting hormones. A placebo-controlled, double-blind study has shown that this supplement can reduce both leptin and insulin levels significantly after just eight weeks, when it is taken in conjunction with an exercise and diet program-while increasing adiponectin and lowering both weight and body fat percentage.5
Luckily, this hunger-busting, leptin-balancing product is available now as a safe daily supplement. You can find both key ingredients in a formula called LeptinX, available now from Vitamin Research Products.
References:
1. Zeman M, Jirak R, Jachymova M, et al. Leptin, adiponectin, leptin to adiponectin ratio and insulin resistance in depressive women. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2009;30(3):387-95.
2. Pasco JA, Jacka FN, Williams LJ, et al. Leptin in depressed women: cross-sectional and longitudinal data from an epidemiologic study. J Affect Disord. 2008 Apr;107(1-3):221-5.
3. Antonijevic IA, Murck H, Frieboes RM, et al. Elevated nocturnal profiles of serum leptin in patients with depression. J Psychiatr Res. 1998 Nov-Dec;32(6):403-10.
4. Cizza G, Romagni P, Lotsikas A, et al. Plasma leptin in men and women with seasonal affective disorder and in healthy matched controls. Horm Metab Res. 2005 Jan;37(1):45-8.
5. Fragala MS, Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, et al. Influences of a dietary supplement in combination with an exercise and diet regimen on adipocytokines and adiposity in women who are overweight. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2009; 105:665-72.
