Research
Hormonal
Leptin signaling in POMC neurons is essential for energy homeostasis, and leptin deficiency causes obesity, which can be corrected by leptin administration.
Leptin is crucial for weight regulation, but it only works as a treatment for those with a specific genetic deficiency. It is not a general weight-loss drug for the majority of people with obesity.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
Although such leptin deficiency is rare in the population, it provides evidence that the hormone is essential for energy homeostasis in humans... delivery of leptin to mice and to humans with leptin deficiency corrects obesity.
Why this rating
Based on human genetic studies and clinical trials of leptin replacement.
Source
The melanocortin pathway and control of appetite-progress and therapeutic implications
Giulia Baldini et al. · Journal of Endocrinology · 2019
DOI 10.1530/joe-18-0596
narrative_reviewCited 271×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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