Energy balance
Sustained weight loss on a very low-fat diet significantly decreases plasma leptin concentrations, with the magnitude of decrease correlating with the amount of body mass lost.
Losing weight significantly lowers your leptin levels, which is a biological signal that increases hunger and reduces energy expenditure. This effect is proportional to the amount of fat you lose. To manage this, you must be aware that your body will biologically fight against maintaining a lower weight, requiring sustained behavioral strategies.
Plasma leptin concentrations were decreased in both normal weight women and overweight/obese women who lost weight after 6 months on the ad libitum low fat diet, and the reductions were sustained after 8 months.
Why this rating
Longitudinal study with 8-month follow-up and objective measurements of body composition and hormones.
Source
Relationship of plasma leptin to plasma insulin and adiposity in normal weight and overweight women: effects of dietary fat content and sustained weight loss.
Peter J. Havel et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 1996
DOI 10.1210/jcem.81.12.8954050
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- Plasma leptin concentrations are not affected by dietary fat content (ranging from 14% to 31% of energy) when body weight and adiposity are held constant.Good
- Overweight/obese women have higher plasma leptin levels per unit of adiposity (leptin/adiposity ratio) compared to normal weight women, and this ratio decreases significantly after sustained weight loss in the overweight/obese group.Good
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