Research

Adherence

Leptin regulates body weight in humans predominantly by affecting eating behavior (satiety) rather than by increasing energy expenditure (calorigenesis).

Unlike in mice, where leptin increases energy expenditure, in humans, high leptin levels do not correlate with higher energy expenditure. This suggests that leptin's primary role in weight regulation is through satiety and eating behavior, not by burning more calories at rest.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
The observation that serum leptin is not related to energy expenditure rates suggests that leptin regulates body fat predominantly by altering eating behavior rather than calorigenesis.
Adele Kennedy et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 1997

Why this rating

Based on the absence of correlation with energy expenditure, which is an indirect inference rather than a direct measurement of eating behavior.

Source

The Metabolic Significance of Leptin in Humans: Gender-Based Differences in Relationship to Adiposity, Insulin Sensitivity, and Energy Expenditure*

Adele Kennedy et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 1997

DOI 10.1210/jcem.82.4.3859

cross_sectional · n=116Cited 482×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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