Research
Hormonal
Leptin resistance in obesity is characterized by high circulating leptin levels but a failure of the brain to respond, primarily due to impaired transport across the blood-brain barrier and reduced signaling, leading to continued food intake and insulin resistance.
In obesity, your body produces plenty of leptin, the hormone that tells your brain to stop eating, but your brain stops listening. This 'leptin resistance' is partly due to transport issues across the blood-brain barrier. Restoring sensitivity is key, not just adding more hormone.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
The concept of 'leptin resistance' was introduced when increased adipose leptin production was observed in the majority of obese individuals without adequate leptin-mediated end-organ response... Studies in obese rodents suggested that leptin resistance is associated with impairment of leptin transport across the blood-brain-barrier (BBB)...
Why this rating
Well-established concept with strong animal data and human observational correlations, though human interventional trials of leptin are disappointing.
Source
Adipokines and Insulin Resistance
Katja Rabe et al. · Molecular Medicine · 2008
DOI 10.2119/2008-00058.rabe
narrative_reviewCited 805×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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