Tip Tuesday! Leptin and Alkaline Foods

By: Dr. Axe

When it comes to dieting, listening to your body’s cues can lead to a successful journey. Knowing when you’re actually hungry and when you’re emotionally eating or just thirsty is essential in long-term weight loss and maintenance. Logically, you know you should stop eating when you are full. However, it can often be more complicated than that. Various hormones in your body trigger you to start and stop eating. What if the hormone that tells you to stop eating could be controlled by the foods you eat?

WHAT IS LEPTIN?

Leptin is a hormone that plays a role in various parts of the body, including the brain, lungs, kidneys, spleen, heart and liver. Primarily, leptin tells your body when you are full. It signals the brain to stop eating based on the expansion of your stomach. The more food in your stomach, the harder leptin signals you to put down the fork.

WHAT EFFECTS LEPTIN LEVELS?

Weight and food consumption are two controllable factors that affect the amount of leptin in your body. Since fat cells produce leptin, body mass index (BMI) has been linked to high levels of leptin in the blood. The more you weigh, the more leptin in your body. Thus, obesity (BMI >30) leads to increased leptin levels.

Also, diet has been shown to affect the levels of leptin in the body. Since leptin and the immune system work together, consuming anti-inflammatory alkaline foods make you more sensitive to leptin levels. This can potentially lead to weight loss and a healthier body.

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