Are you someone who can eat all day? The Santé lifestyle coach Angelien explains what could be the cause of this.
Do you find it difficult not to eat food when you see it? Can't you walk out of a gas station without bringing a cookie, march or candy? Can't resist a treat with coffee? Then you are insatiable and that is partly because your hormone leptin does not work properly. There is talk of leptin resistance.
The hormone leptin is produced in the fat cells after every meal and has the function of measuring and signaling how much fat is stored in the body. Our brains receive a signal whether there is enough energy, so that certain functions can be performed. For example, we need energy to live, to keep our organs working and to do our daily things. In case of illness, such as the flu, the immune system must be activated and we need extra energy. If we do not have enough energy, there is a danger of becoming even sicker and that there is not enough recovery.
During the extra energy peaks we get a huge increase in leptin production in the fat cells. The big question is whether there is enough energy in stock to, for example, trigger a severe fever reaction to fight the flu. Normally a lot of energy, glucose, is now released for the immune system and the other organs have to make do with less for a while. You are then tired, have no appetite, no energy, are feverish, sick, weak and nauseous, until the flu bacteria has been destroyed. That's a normal system! It is one of the body's strategies to gather a lot of energy for the immune system that has become active for a long time. This goes well if there is balance, but suppose you suffer from chronic stress due to unhealthy food, medication, emotions, too hard work, etc. Then there is also a chronically high leptin production by the fat cells and you get leptin resistance. Your cells have become insensitive to leptin (maybe you know insulin resistance or antibiotic resistance, well that). The result of this is that you eat too much and always feel hungry, there is no brake anymore. You don't get a signal “I'm full, it's enough”.
When there is too little energy, for example with too little food (anorexia), the brain receives a signal that there is too little energy in stock. There is an imbalance. The body reacts to this by, for example, hair loss or the absence of menstruation. The body has to make a choice where the energy goes, and that is first to the vital organs that we need to stay alive.
The complaints caused by leptin resistance include:
• Overweight
• Irritability
• Mood swings
• Snitch
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
The good news is that by tackling your lifestyle you can make cells sensitive again to the hormone leptin. We do this by examining the causes of your stress:nutrition – stress – exercise – mindset, where are your areas for improvement?
Stress can be reduced by feeding your body with healthy food instead of filling it with food that contains no nutrients. In addition, it is important to investigate whether you can tolerate all foods, maybe you have an intolerance, which costs a lot of energy. A balance between work, home and family is also important. How many balls do you have to keep high? Could you drop some balls or throw less high? Do you move enough or do you sit a lot? Leptin is only 1 hormone and we have more than 100 of them. These ensure that all systems run smoothly. So let's take good care of this!
