FatScrap 6th to 12th September - Balancing hormones

Hi and welcome back!

Leptin is a circulating signal that reduces appetite, and is believed to increase physical activity and feelings of well being.

Ghrelin is the hormone that makes sure we eat enough and, is the one that works alongside leptin.

Insulin is a hormone that increases appetite, decreases physical activity and feelings of well being by suppressing leptin, as well as promoting the chemical dopamine which makes a person want to eat to get the feel good dopamine “rush”.

It is an imbalance in these hormones that can lead to obesity.

Leptin
In general, obese people are found to have an unusually high circulating concentration of leptin and are said to be resistant to the effects of leptin.

A study published recently suggests that the consumption of high amounts of fructose causes leptin resistance and elevated triglycerides in rats. The high fructose diet rats subsequently ate more and gained more weight than controls when fed a high fat, high calorie diet.

Eating fructose in it’s natural form (fruit) is not usually the cause a high fructose diet, it’s the high levels of fructose hidden in manufactured products. Reducing your consumption of these foods will help lower your levels of fructose and in turn help balance your leptin levels.

Insulin
It is the high level of sugar and the low level of fibre that are now in our diets from processed, manufactured foods that promote insulin production.

So lowering your intake of sugars and increasing your fibre intake will likely lower your leptin resistance and your levels of insulin.

Ghrelin
Higher levels of gherlin have been found in people who have less sleep than those who have more so it is now thought possible that lack of sleep leads to higher levels of ghrelin, which in turn triggers the appetite and leads to obesity (although scientists are not completely certain whether obesity raises gherlin levels or high gherlin levels lead to obesity).

Higher levels of gherlin also create less leptin which means this appetite suppressant doesn't get to kick in and do it's job!

In addition, high levels of ghrelin have been found to suppress the amount of fat used by the adipose tissue. This implies that those with high levels of ghrelin in their bodies will not only feel hungrier than those with low levels, but may burn fat more slowly as well.

I have read that high levels of blood sugar trigger the overeating behavior. In other words, binge eating or out-of-control feeding, is associated with a malfunction in the brain’s hunger signals. The level of ghrelin depends on the state of nutrition and hydration of an individual. So its effect does not end with hunger, it affects thirst as well.

So, bearing all this in mind, this is why the recommendations for aiding fat loss are to eat less sugars and refined carbohydrates in order to maintain normal blood sugar levels, drink plenty of fluids to keep well hydrated and increase activity and exercise so that you are not just mentally tired from your busy day, but physically tired as well.

And what are we trying to encourage you to do on this FatScrap Programme?

- Eat healthily by eating less sugars and refined carbohydrates in order to balance hormones and maintain normal blood sugar levels.

- drink plenty of sugar free fluids to keep well hydrated and drink less alcohol which we know contains sugar and dehydrates the body.

- make exercise part of your routine to help you get fitter and sleep well!

Sue x