You can't walk into your local pharmacy and buy the hormone leptin. And at this time, you can't ask your doctor for a prescription for it, either. There aren't any current over-the-counter leptin supplements that actually contain leptin in the United States. Given the state of research on the hormone now, you may not want it just yet anyway. Leptin is widely heralded as the obesity cure because this wonder hormone tells your brain that it's time to stop eating and to burn more calories. But knowledge of how leptin works in the human body is still in its infancy, and research has revealed that it's amazingly complex. The pills you see in health food sections that play on the word leptin in their titles only contain ingredients thought to help make your body more sensitive to leptin.
Leptin Facts
Leptin is a hormone that is secreted by your fat cells while you're sleeping. It was only discovered in the mid-1990s in lab mice, but it was hailed as a breakthrough in obesity research. That's because one of the main functions of leptin is to suppress your appetite and increase your body's calorie burning. Obesity treatment with leptin has yet to live up to the hype, however, as researchers learn more about how this complex hormone operates. For example, a paradox happens in that people with the most fat cells tend become resistant to the effects of leptin, so supplements containing the actual hormone aren't yet on the market. Scientists have gone on to discover that leptin not only works in your brain, but your gut also has receptors for leptin. The hormone also plays a role in reproduction and immune function, as well as in the development of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.
Hormone Replacement
The only place you can currently get real leptin is by participating in a clinical trial, and your weight loss results might not be what you expect. In a review of research, Dr. Rexford S. Ahima, a University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researcher, said direct injection of leptin into the brains of lab animals "profoundly inhibited food intake and decreased weight and fat." In research with people, however, leptin's performance has been hit or miss, and scientists aren't sure why just yet. For example, a study reported in the December 2005 issue of "Journal of Clinical Investigation," said that after five weeks of injecting leptin into people who had problems naturally synthesizing the hormone, those people didn't have the typical problems of weight regain after being on a reduced-calorie diet. But injecting people at their normal weight when they didn't have a problem making leptin did nothing to help them lose weight. They concluded that leptin's role is apparently to defend --- not reduce --- body fat by increasing food seeking and decreasing energy expenditure when fat stores are insufficient. That is, when you lose weight, you lose leptin, and your body naturally wants to put the weight back on. Treating with leptin doesn't appear to resolve this problem unless you have a natural leptin deficiency. Studies are ongoing to determine whether other drugs or therapies can improve sensitivity to leptin to sustain weight loss.
Over-the-Counter Supplements
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve any over-the-counter use of the hormone in people, although in December 2010, a pharmaceutical company had a pending application. Current supplements on the market don't contain leptin but claim to help sensitize your body to its effects. Some may contain LeptiCore, a patented blend of ingredients that has been subjected to a clinical trial in people with metabolic syndrome. Reporting in the journal "Lipids in Health and Disease," researchers from Cameroon said the formula proved statistically significant on all measures, which included weight, body fat, hip size, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, glucose, serotonin and leptin levels. The study was supported by Pipeline Nutraceuticals.
Help Leptin Work Naturally
Unless you have a problem making leptin, several factors control how leptin works in your body. The hypothalamus region in your brain is key player, along with genetics, which works actively in determining what your leptin levels should be. You are in fact hardwired to maintain a balance of calories in and calories out. As in most cases, eating a healthy diet and being physically active more often help keep your body sensitive to the effects of leptin. In addition, because leptin is developed and released when you sleep, getting enough rest can also help.
References
- "Los Angeles Times"; The Waning Promise of Leptin in the Obesity Fight; Elena Conis; August 9, 2010
- "Harvard Gazette"; Obesity: Reviving the Promise of Leptin; Nancy Fliesler; January 6, 2009
- "Lipids in Health and Disease," The Use Of Lepticore® in Reducing Fat Gain and Managing Weight Loss in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome; Dieudonne Kuate et al.; February 19, 2010
- CBS News; Sleep More, Eat Less; Lloyd de Vries; November 9, 2004
- "Journal of Clinical Investigation"; Revisiting Leptin's Role in Obesity and Weight Loss; Rexford S. Ahima; July 1, 2008
- "Journal of Clinical Investigation"; Low-Dose Leptin Reverses Skeletal Muscle, Autonomic, and Neuroendocrine Adaptations to Maintenance of Reduced Weight; Michael Rosenbaum et al.; December 1, 2005
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