Research
Hormonal
Leptin resistance, rather than leptin deficiency, is the primary hormonal barrier to satiety in most obese individuals.
Most obese individuals have high leptin levels but are resistant to its signals. Taking leptin supplements is generally ineffective. The focus should be on reducing body fat to improve leptin sensitivity through sustainable energy balance, rather than seeking hormonal supplements.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
Although, as mentioned above, a very small proportion of obesity cases involve impaired leptin secretion, most obese people have relatively high levels of circulating leptin... This indicates that leptin resistance, rather than deficiency, may be associated with obesity.
Why this rating
Review paper citing multiple studies on leptin.
Source
Satiation, satiety and their effects on eating behaviour
B. Benelam · Nutrition Bulletin · 2009
DOI 10.1111/j.1467-3010.2009.01753.x
narrative_reviewCited 332×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Gastric distension and gut hormones (CCK, GLP-1, PYY) are the primary physiological mechanisms for satiation and satiety, but these signals can be overridden by hedonic and external factors.Strong
- Energy density is the primary determinant of satiety; when energy density is controlled, macronutrient composition has a minor impact on satiety.Good
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →