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Leptin resistance: the key to obesity?
Posted on Mar 9th 2007 12:00PM by Bethany SandersFiled Under: HealthWatch, Diet & Weight Loss
It's a generalization in our society that people who suffer from obesity just lack willpower or control, and that if they would "just eat less," then they would be as thin as their non-obese counterparts. Though that may be true on a basic level, recent studies have been pointing to the idea that obesity is more than a lack of willpower and is, indeed, a physical disease. A new study done on mice seems to solidify that theory.
When genetically identical mice were fed a high fat diet for 20 weeks, about 65% of them became obese. When compared to the mice who did not gain weight, as well as mice who were fed a normal diet, the obese mice were found to be resistant to leptin. Leptin is a hormone that is produced by fat cells and "tells" the brain how much fat there is in the body. In a person who is not leptin-resistant, the hormone works to control appetite and to use stored energy appropriately. But in the mice who were obese, leptin failed to produce similar responses. This study seems to prove that there is a biological difference between the mice who became obese and the mice that stayed thin.
The great news is that when the obese mice were put on a low-fat diet, they lost weight. Their response to leptin regulated and their resistance to the hormone did not appear to be permanent. Though the study can not be directly applied to humans just yet, researchers believe that people with obesity who are leptin-resistant may be able to reverse the condition through weight loss.
When genetically identical mice were fed a high fat diet for 20 weeks, about 65% of them became obese. When compared to the mice who did not gain weight, as well as mice who were fed a normal diet, the obese mice were found to be resistant to leptin. Leptin is a hormone that is produced by fat cells and "tells" the brain how much fat there is in the body. In a person who is not leptin-resistant, the hormone works to control appetite and to use stored energy appropriately. But in the mice who were obese, leptin failed to produce similar responses. This study seems to prove that there is a biological difference between the mice who became obese and the mice that stayed thin.
The great news is that when the obese mice were put on a low-fat diet, they lost weight. Their response to leptin regulated and their resistance to the hormone did not appear to be permanent. Though the study can not be directly applied to humans just yet, researchers believe that people with obesity who are leptin-resistant may be able to reverse the condition through weight loss.
