Because leptin reduces food intake and body weight, the coexistence of elevated leptin levels with obesity is widely interpreted as evidence of “leptin resistance.” Indeed, obesity promotes multiple cellular processes that attenuate leptin signaling (referred to here as “cellular leptin resistance”), and which amplify …
How does leptin cause obesity?
Leptin resistance is characterized by reduced satiety, over-consumption of nutrients, and increased total body mass. Often this leads to obesity, which reduces the effectiveness of using exogenous leptin as a therapeutic agent.
How does leptin affect body weight?
Leptin circulates in blood and acts on the brain to regulate food intake and energy expenditure. When fat mass falls, plasma leptin levels fall, stimulating appetite and suppressing energy expenditure until fat mass is restored. When fat mass increases, leptin levels increase, suppressing appetite until weight is lost.
Is leptin responsible for obesity?
Leptin is a protein product of the obesity (ob) gene. It is secreted as a hormone mainly from white adipose tissue and serves as a signal for the brain of the body’s energy stores. By reducing food intake and increasing thermogenesis, leptin controls body fat tissue and, hence, body weight.
How does leptin affect appetite and is it involved in the development of obesity?
When the body is functioning properly, excess fat cells will produce leptin, which will trigger the hypothalamus to lower the appetite, allowing the body to dip into the fat stores to feed itself. Unfortunately, when someone is obese, that individual will have too much leptin in the blood.
What are the main effects of leptin?
The primary function of the hormone leptin is the regulation of adipose tissue mass through central hypothalamus mediated effects on hunger, food energy use, physical exercise and energy balance.
What role does leptin play in weight management quizlet?
Leptin is a hormone that acts to reduce food intake and to decrease body weight and body fat.