Research

Hormonal

Plasma LEAP2 levels increase with higher body mass, obesity, and postprandial states in humans and mice, acting as an endogenous antagonist to acyl-ghrelin to limit food intake and blood glucose elevation.

Your body produces a hormone called LEAP2 that increases when you are overweight or after you eat. This hormone acts as a brake on the 'hunger hormone' (ghrelin) to prevent you from overeating and spiking blood sugar. This is a natural regulatory mechanism. While high LEAP2 is associated with obesity, it also decreases when you lose weight, suggesting your body's hormonal 'brakes' can adjust as your metabolic state changes.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Our results suggest that plasma LEAP2 is regulated by metabolic status: its levels increased with body mass and blood glucose and decreased with fasting, RYGB, and in postprandial states following VSG.
Bharath K. Mani et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2019

Why this rating

Strong evidence from multiple human cohorts and mouse models, including electrophysiology.

Source

LEAP2 changes with body mass and food intake in humans and mice

Bharath K. Mani et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 2019

DOI 10.1172/jci125332

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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