Research
Hormonal
Leptin acts as a critical signal linking nutritional status to puberty onset and reproductive function in females, with sufficient levels required to activate hypothalamic pathways for ovulation.
For females, maintaining healthy body fat levels is crucial for the onset of puberty and regular ovulation. Leptin, a hormone from fat cells, signals the brain that energy reserves are sufficient for reproduction. Extreme leanness can delay puberty or cause infertility, which may be reversible with leptin treatment.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Leptin levels are increased when animals have accumulated sufficient levels of fat stores, promoting the onset of ovulation in developing females, and gating ovulatory cycles in adult females.
Source
Food and the brain: Neural and endocrine control of feeding, metabolism, and reproduction
Naira da Silva Mansano et al. · Journal of Neuroendocrinology · 2025
DOI 10.1111/jne.70104
narrative_reviewCited 1×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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