Hormones, Weight, and Nutrition: What’s the Correlation?
We often hear about how hormone fluctuations can impact our body weight. Hormone imbalances can make it challenging to properly lose weight, and they can even lead to weight gain over time. Many people may not consider the fact that hormones may contribute to their ability to lose weight properly, as hormones like insulin, leptin, and ghrelin all affect our body weight.
Insulin - Insulin impacts weight due to its regulation of blood sugar. After eating, insulin gets released by the pancreas to move sugar from the blood into cells to be used for energy. It also impacts fat storage by influencing how much fat gets stored and how much gets burned to be used as energy. If your insulin levels are too high, it can lead to weight gain and type 2 diabetes.
How can you balance insulin levels? Insulin levels can be balanced by controlling how much food you consume. If you chronically overeat, this can cause insulin resistance, which is when insulin is getting released but insulin-sensitive tissues don’t respond to the effects of insulin and blood sugar levels remain elevated (AKA hyperglycemia). Insulin levels can also remain at a healthy level by limiting the amount of processed and refined carbohydrates you consume and ensuring to consume enough fiber and whole foods.
Leptin - Leptin is a hormone that helps to prevent hunger and regulate energy balance. It is made in our fat cells and communicates with the brain to signal whether you feel full. Balanced leptin levels help to prevent overeating and can leave you feeling full and satiated for longer periods of time. Similar to insulin, if your diet is filled with processed and sweet foods, your body may become resistant to leptin which would cause you to become hungrier quicker.
How can you balance leptin levels? Leptin levels can be balanced by consuming an overall healthy diet that limits processed foods and refined carbohydrates. Leptin levels are especially impacted by sugar and can drastically increase with sugar consumption, which is what causes leptin resistance. So, by limiting added sugars, leptin levels can remain within limit. Anti-inflammatory foods, exercise, and receiving enough sleep can also help with leptin levels!
Ghrelin - Ghrelin is known as our hunger hormone and works to communicate with our brain and tell it when we are hungry (similar to leptin). When our stomach is empty and needs food, ghrelin gets released into our blood. Levels of ghrelin in the blood are lowest after a meal and highest when it is time for our next meal. Individuals who are overweight or obese often have imbalanced ghrelin levels; ghrelin may not decrease after eating, which can make you believe you are still hungry and need more food.
How can you balance ghrelin levels? If you think you may have imbalanced ghrelin levels, there are several things you can do to help. One of the most important things is to make sure you are consuming enough protein! Protein helps with satiety and fullness and can promote healthy ghrelin levels. Another thing you can do is to again, limit sugar consumption and consume a general healthful diet filled with healthy fats, fiber, and protein.
Insulin, leptin, and ghrelin are only some of the hormones that impact weight and hunger. To ensure each of these are properly balanced, make sure you are incorporating movement into your day, getting enough sleep each night, and consuming a well-balanced diet. Next week, we will be covering certain hormones that are more prominent in women that also impact overall health and weight maintenance, so be sure to check back soon!