Like most people, you probably gained a few extra pounds over the holidays – and with the arrival of the New Year, chances are good that you’ve been looking high and low for anything that could help you take off the fat without obsessive calorie-counting, starvation or endless hours at the gym.
If so, you’ll be happy to know that your search is over – because, while you may not realize it, your body already has the secret to a slimmer waistline, in the form of a weight-regulating hormone called leptin.
Leptin is generated in proportion to the amount of fat on your body: As the size of your fat cells increases, they produce more leptin. In the presence of higher fat stores, leptin sends a signal to your hypothalamus to reduce your hunger, and tells your body to start burning fat instead of storing it.1-4
In short, a balanced, steady supply of leptin is nature’s most effective way of keeping your body slim, trim and healthy – no fad diets or crazy workouts required. Unfortunately, there’s a catch.
As it turns out, people who just can’t keep weight off don’t struggle with low leptin levels – on the contrary, their levels of leptin are typically too high. That’s because one too many leptin surges – whether from overeating or high carbohydrate loads – can eventually make your body unresponsive to this hormone’s critical messages. The result is leptin resistance – and it can have a profound effect not only on your weight, but also on your inflammatory responses, your blood sugar levels, your heart health, your bone density and your immune health.5-17
An out-of-control appetite and stubborn weight gain are two of the most common signs that your body’s just not "listening" to the leptin signals like it used to – so, if you’ve been losing your fight against excess fat, boosting your body’s leptin sensitivity may give you the edge you need to finally succeed.
Like leptin, adiponectin has also emerged as a key fat-regulating hormone, with studies linking proper levels of this adipocytokine to normal insulin sensitivity and weight control.18 Lower levels of adiponectin, on the other hand, are associated with metabolic, cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar imbalances.19-21 That’s why getting your adiponectin levels back in balance and in sync with leptin is just as important as addressing leptin resistance – and lucky for your waistline, targeted supplementation can help you with both.
An 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 22 women on identical diet and exercise regimens showed that supplementation with a combination of modified cellulose and cetylated fatty acids delivered significant improvements in both body weight and body fat percentages, as well as improvements in insulin, leptin and adiponectin levels when compared to placebo.22 These results support the findings of animal studies, suggesting that this all-natural combination – which is available now as LeptinX from Vitamin Research Products – could become the most powerful secret weapon in your weight management arsenal!
References:
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2. Stehling O, DÃ ring H, Ertl J, Preibisch G, Schmidt I. Am. J. Leptin reduces juvenile fat stores by altering the circadian cycle of energy expenditure. Physiol. 1996 December;271(6 Pt 2):R1770-R1774.
3. Levin N, Nelson C, Gurney A, Vandlen R, de Sauvage, F. Decreased food intake does not completely account for adiposity reduction after ob protein infusion. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1996 February 20;93(4):1726-1730.
4. Kalra SP, Kalra PS. Neuropeptide Y: a physiological orexigen modulated by the feedback action of ghrelin and leptin. Endocrine. 2003;22(1):49-56.
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18. Vasseur F. Adiponectin and its receptors: partners contributing to the "vicious circle" leading to the metabolic syndrome? Pharmacol Res. 2006 Jun;3(6):478-81.
19. Ukkola O, Santaniemi M. Adiponectin: a link between excess adiposity and associated comorbidities? J Mol Med. 2002 Nov;80(11):696-702.
20. DÃ ez JJ, Iglesias P. The role of the novel adipocyte-derived hormone adiponectin in human disease. Eur J Endocrinol. 2003 Mar;148(3):293-300.
21. Renaldi O, Pramono B, Sinorita H, Purnomo LB, Asdie RH, Asdie AH. Hypoadiponectinemia: a risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Acta Med Indones. 2009 Jan;41(1):20-4.
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