Research
Hormonal
Obesity is associated with 'leptin resistance,' where high circulating levels of leptin fail to produce expected anorexigenic effects due to receptor over-stimulation and impaired transport across the blood-brain barrier.
In obesity, your body produces plenty of the satiety hormone leptin, but your brain stops listening to it (leptin resistance). Simply having high leptin doesn't help you lose weight. Future treatments aim to bypass this resistance rather than just adding more hormone.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
This, combined with the lack of expected corresponding leptin-mediated effects, has given rise to the concept of leptin resistance. In many of these cases, despite high circulating levels and the presence of functional receptors, the expected anorexigenic effects of leptin are significantly diminished.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies cited in the review regarding leptin levels and resistance mechanisms.
Source
Appetite regulation and weight control: the role of gut hormones
Ben D. Perry et al. · Nutrition and Diabetes · 2012
DOI 10.1038/nutd.2011.21
narrative_reviewCited 214×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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