Weight Gain Due to Hormonal Imbalances
Weight Is Directly Related to Hormones
Endocrine glands secrete hormones that are distributed all over your body via
Impact Of Hormones on Weight
To lose weight and keep it off, we should understand the workings of these hormones. They work as follows;
Hormone | Endocrine Gland (Produced by) | Function | Issues due to malfunction |
Insulin | Pancreas (islets of Langerhans) | - handles utilization and storage of blood sugar (glucose) - makes the cell walls permeable to glucose (source of energy) - excess sugar is turned into glycogen - stored in the liver, muscles, and adipose tissue (fat cells) - glycogen turns to glucose in presence of insulin | - Chronically, high levels of insulin in the blood lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, diabetes (Type 2) |
Leptin | White adipose tissue, but also by the stomach, skeletal muscle & pituitary gland | - appetite suppressant hormone - communicates with your brain - telling it when you are satiated or hungry | - Leptin resistance - Feeling unsatiated or empty - leading to the brain telling your body to keep eating à weight gain |
Ghrelin | a pleiotropic hormone secreted by endocrine X/A-like cells of the stomach & in small amounts by the small intestine, pancreas, and brain | - stimulates appetite - increases food intake - promotes fat storage | - increased appetite àbody weight - disorders like cachexia, anorexia nervosa |
Cortisol | Adrenal glands | The adrenal cortex produces hormones that control - sex (androgens, estrogens) - salt balance in the blood (aldosterone) - sugar balance (cortisol) | - causes cravings for sugary, fatty & salty foods - affects the carbohydrate & fat metabolism à weight gain |
estrogen | gonads - ovaries, corpus luteum, and placenta non-gonad organs - liver, heart, skin, and brain | - optimal functioning of female reproductive organs | - |
Conclusion
There are other obscure hormones such as - Neuropeptide Y (NPY), Cholecystokinin (CCK), Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1), and Peptide YY (PYY) - that play a role in weight gain. Legacy Clinic offers a doctor-directed weight loss program that targets hormone imbalances to determine the source of the weight gain and provides a custom weight loss solution for each patient.
Legacy Clinic in The Villages operates a
