Leptin Resistance

Leptin is a hormone made by adipose cells that helps regulate Energy Balance by inhibiting hunger. Leptin is opposed by the actions of the hormone ghrelin, the "hunger hormone". Both hormones act on receptors that regulate appetite to achieve Energy Homeostasis. In obesity, a decreased sensitivity to Leptin occurs, resulting in an inability to detect satiety despite high energy stores. Although, regulation of Leptin reduces appetite as a circulating signal, obese individuals generally exhibit a higher circulating concentration of leptin than normal weight individuals due to their higher percentage body fat. These people show resistance to Leptin, similar to resistance of insulin in type 2 diabetes, with the elevated levels failing to control hunger and modulate their weight.

Do you crave sweets? This is a rhetorical question...I already know the answer. Leptin resistance actually desensitizes your taste buds to sugar, so you need to eat more and more sweets to feel satisfied, Ironically, as you eat more and more sweets, you actually enjoy them less. Yet you find them impossible to resist. This leads to destructive binge eating and unwanted weight gain.