Research
Hormonal
Leptin resistance in obese individuals renders exogenous leptin therapy ineffective for weight loss, despite leptin's potent role in regulating energy balance and satiety.
Leptin supplements or therapies are generally ineffective for weight loss in typical obesity because the body has become resistant to the hormone. This is why simply 'adding more leptin' doesn't work. Focus should be on improving leptin sensitivity through lifestyle changes rather than seeking leptin-based treatments.
StrongRefutesHIGH confidence
Leptin is largely ineffective for treating regular obese patients due to leptin resistance caused by hyperleptinemia, and leptin administration into these individuals does not generate anorexic effects.
Why this rating
Consistent clinical observations cited in the review.
Source
Adipocytokines in obesity and metabolic disease
Haiming Cao · Journal of Endocrinology · 2014
DOI 10.1530/joe-13-0339
narrative_reviewCited 707×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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