Hormonal
Administering low-dose leptin to restore circulating levels to pre-weight-loss values reverses the metabolic, autonomic, and neuroendocrine adaptations (increased muscle efficiency, decreased energy expenditure, and reduced sympathetic tone) that promote weight regain in humans.
If you have lost weight, your body fights back by becoming more efficient and slowing your metabolism. This study suggests that replacing the leptin hormone lost with fat tissue (to levels you had before losing weight) can reverse these 'starvation mode' adaptations, potentially helping you maintain your weight loss without needing to eat less or exercise more than your body naturally demands.
During leptin administration, energy expenditure, skeletal muscle work efficiency, sympathetic nervous system tone, and circulating concentrations of thyroxine and triiodothyronine returned to pre–weight-loss levels.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with inpatient metabolic ward conditions, though small sample size (n=10) limits generalizability.
Source
Low-dose leptin reverses skeletal muscle, autonomic, and neuroendocrine adaptations to maintenance of reduced weight
Michael Rosenbaum · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2005
DOI 10.1172/jci25977
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