The hormones that we owe our body balance to are chemical messengers working in coordination to lose weight and control our weight.
The hormones involved in every activity in our life, from our emotions to our sexual life, also affect appetite and weight directly.
Recent research has shown that it is as important as calculating the calories of what we eat, what we eat when and how it affects hormones.
Hormonal problems start when there is too much or too little of certain hormones in the body. Maybe your gland overproduces the hormone; maybe the receptors in the cells work badly and cannot combine with hormones as they should.
Perhaps, due to the food we eat, hormones misperceive the signals and cause the wrong hormone to be secreted. Such hormonal storms change all the balances in our body.
In the article, when the hormones that serve us to lose weight and control our weight work at the appropriate level or when their balance changes, what changes occur in our body and what needs to be done to operate these hormones properly.
Hormones That Lose Weight and Lose Weight
insulin
Insulin is a hormone produced by beta cells in the pancreas. It is secreted in small amounts throughout the day and excessively after meals.
Insulin provides the energy needed by the cells. It is also the main hormone that enables the body to store fat. Insulin transforms what we eat into energy, and when we eat too much, it stores the excess energy that it cannot use as fat.
You must have heard of insulin resistance. Because, with the spread of obesity recently, it has become a very common problem.
Insulin resistanceIt occurs as a result of insensitivity to insulin hormone in tissues such as liver, muscle, adipose tissue and prepares the ground for the formation of type II diabetes.
Chronic high insulin levels also trigger many health problems such as obesity. Overeating, sugar, carbohydrates and fast food-based nutrition cause insulin resistance.
The way to find out if there is insulin resistance is to go to a doctor and have an analysis. Take a look at the tips below to improve insulin sensitivity by keeping insulin levels normal, avoiding insulin resistance.
Minimize sugar. Fructose and sucrose trigger insulin resistance by increasing insulin levels excessively.
Reduce your carbohydrate intake and choose healthy carbohydrate-containing foods. Especially starch-containing carbohydrates increase blood sugar rapidly.
Take care to eat protein. Although protein foods increase insulin levels in the short term, it helps to reduce insulin resistance and burn belly fat in the long term.
Consume foods that contain healthy fats such as omega 3. Most of the omega 3 fatty acids that can be obtained from fish are found in foods such as walnuts, pumpkin seeds, purslane, spinach, soybeans, and flaxseeds.
Exercise regularly. In a study, an improvement in insulin sensitivity was observed in women who exercised.
Get enough magnesium. Usually in people with insulin resistance magnesium is low, and magnesium supplements improve insulin sensitivity. Spinach, pumpkin seeds, green beans, soybeans, sesame, cashews, almonds, brown rice are foods rich in magnesium.
Drink green tea. Green tea lowers blood sugar levels.
Leptin
Leptinis produced by fat cells. It is called the "satiety hormone" and is the hormone that tells our brain that it is full.
If our body does not secrete leptin, the signals do not go to the hypothalamus, which manages the appetite part of the brain, and we eat constantly without thinking that we are full.
The leptin levels in the blood of obese people are very high, even 4 times higher than that of normal people. Having this high leptin causes the brain to become insensitive to leptin and consequently to leptin resistance.
Leptin resistance When it occurs, leptin signals are disrupted and no signal is sent to the hypothalamus to stop eating. Here are a few tips to break leptin resistance and increase leptin sensitivity:
Get enough sleep. Leptin hormone is most secreted between 2-5 o'clock at night during sleep. Insufficient sleep decreases leptin levels and increases appetite.
Low glycemic index foodsbe fed. These foods, which keep insulin levels in balance, also help break leptin resistance.
Avoid processed foods. These types of foods are the main cause of leptin resistance.
Do not neglect the movement. Regular exercise helps to release leptin and break leptin resistance.
ghrelin
If leptin is the "satiety hormone", then ghrelin is called the "hunger hormone". Leptin sends a signal to the brain saying "Enough is enough now", while ghrelin says "you are hungry, you should eat now". Ghrelin is produced in the stomach, duodenum.
Ghrelin levels rise before meals and decrease after meals. Especially in a state of hunger, when we are about to eat and when we think of something delicious, the stomach releases ghrelin.
Ghrelin hormone affected by nutrition. Studies have shown that obese people increase their ghrelin levels after losing weight. This is the biggest reason why you cannot maintain weight after losing weight.
Here are a few tips to improve the function of the ghrelin hormone:
Stay away from sugar. High fructose corn syrup and desserts, especially after meals, may impair the ghrelin response.
Make sure to take protein food with every meal. The meal that should be rich in protein is breakfast. Eating protein for breakfast will make you feel fuller throughout the day.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is known as the "stress hormone" and is released when stress is perceived.
Like other hormones, it is essential for survival, and when high levels of cortisol are secreted, it leads to weight gain.
Considering that women have more stressful structures, it is not strange that this hormone is mostly at high levels in women.
Once the stressful situation is over, cortisol commands the body to restart digestion. Cortisol has an enormous effect on blood sugar, particularly the way the body uses fuel.
Cortisol tells the body whether to burn fat, protein or carbohydrates, and when, depending on the type of challenge it faces.
Cortisol takes fat and carries it to muscles or breaks down muscles and converts them into glycogen to get more energy.
It is not only the muscles it breaks. Excess cortisol also damages bones and skin. Osteoporosis causes easy injury and skin cracks.
Strict and low-calorie diets - those who try, know - stress the body. In one study, those who ate a low-calorie diet had higher cortisol levels than those who followed a normal diet.
You can support your body with balanced nutrition strategies in times of stress so that your cortisol levels do not go astray and remain at normal levels. Here are the tips:
Eat well. Even if you are trying to lose weight, do not eat very low calories. Try to eat small amounts of each food.
Get enough sleep. Studies have shown that people with no sleep patterns have increased cortisol levels.
Limit caffeine to 200 mg per day.
Avoid processed foods and refined grains.
Listen to music. They did not say in vain that music is the food of the soul. Listening to music reduces stress and stabilizes cortisol levels.
Growth hormone
It is produced in the pituitary gland below the hypothalamus in the brain. It plays an enormous role in the development of bones and other body tissues while boosting immunity.
Growth hormone, It helps to take advantage of fat stores. It provides decomposition of fat cells, burning triglycerides. It also discourages fat cells from absorbing and clinging to fat that travels through the bloodstream.
Growth hormone deficiency is a serious condition that can be particularly harmful in childhood. Children who do not have enough growth hormone stay short and their sexual development is delayed. Things to do to improve the level of growth hormone:
Eating too many low-quality carbohydrates causes insulin levels to rise, suppressing growth hormone levels. You can help the secretion of growth hormone by eating protein.
Exercising allows growth hormone to avoid glucose but instead burn fat.
Good sleep and rest is another way to increase growth hormone levels. Because growth hormone is secreted during sleep.
Thyroid
Butterfly shaped thyroid glandhas one lobe on the neck just next to the trachea. Thyroid hormones perform thousands of functions in our body.
When thyroid hormones become imbalanced by getting too high or too low, chemical reactions in the whole body are disrupted.
The less active than normal thyroid lowers your energy and causes weight gain. In this condition, called hypothyroidism, you feel sluggish and begin to gain weight in a way that you cannot connect to diet.
The most common cause of hypothyroidism; It is an attack of the immune system on the thyroid and it is a disease that is 7 times more common in women than in men.
By looking at hypothyroidism, you may think that the opposite of hyperthyroidism is good for weight. Because the thyroid glands work fast, your heart beats quickly in this condition, which has a side effect such as excessive weight loss, you can not tolerate heat and you can get tired quickly.
It is best to try to maintain thyroid balance. For this, you should contact an endocrinologist and find out if you have a thyroid.
What can you do to improve thyroid function?
Omega 3 fatty acids have the property of regulating thyroid functions. Turn to omega 3 sources such as fish.
Eat dried legumes and whole grain foods, which are a source of vegetable protein.
Consume foods rich in vitamin E, zinc and selenium.
Sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, chard, black cabbage, powdered hot pepper, asparagus, hazelnut oil, safflower oil, garlic, peanuts are the sources with the most vitamin E.
There is a lot of zinc in foods such as spinach, mushrooms, lamb, beef, sesame, pumpkin seeds, and yogurt.
Fish, turkey meat, chicken breast, red meat, eggs, oats, cereals are foods that contain selenium.
Estrogen, which has a role in the female reproductive system, is produced by the ovaries and adrenal glands. In addition to managing a woman's entire development from childhood to adulthood, estrogen also has an impact on blood fats, digestive enzymes, water-salt balance, bone density, heart function, memory, and other functions.
Producing very high and very low estrogen levels causes weight gain. Estrogen values depend on age, the functioning of other hormones and general health.
Estrogen values are high to maintain fertility during reproductive periods from adolescence and accordingly the body tends to store fat. This trend is also seen during pregnancy.
Studies have found that obese women have higher estrogen levels than normal weight women. At the same time, environmental factors also affect estrogen levels.
During the menopause period, estrogen production decreases, and accordingly, fat storage begins in the abdomen, hips and thighs. This increases insulin resistance and increases the risk of disease.
Lifestyle and eating habits help balance estrogen levels.
To balance estrogen levels, you should eat foods rich in fiber.
Vegetables and cruciferous vegetables have beneficial effects on estrogen.
In studies on women, flaxseed has been found to help stabilize estrogen levels.
Physical activity keeps estrogen levels at normal levels in women.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY)
Neuropeptide Y is a hormone produced by brain and nervous system cells. It cannot be said to be a very friendly hormone, because it is activated by ghrelin, the hunger hormone, causes the desire to eat and promotes fat storage.
It stimulates the appetite, especially during periods of increased carbohydrate consumption, when there is hunger or food deprivation.
Neuropeptide Y levels rise during stressful periods, while providing excessive food and fat storage. NP is created in the brain and abdominal fat cells and also stimulates the formation of new fat cells.
What can you do to lower NPY levels?
Eat enough protein. Eating less protein leads to hunger, thus increasing NPY release, and increasing food intake and weight gain.
Do not stay hungry for too long. Prolonged hunger increases NPY levels.
Eating probiotic foods activates beneficial bacteria in the gut and reduces NPY levels.
Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1)
GLP-1 is a hormone produced in the intestines when food enters the intestines. It is created in your small intestine, especially when you eat carbohydrates and fat, stimulating the pancreas to stop producing glucagon and start producing insulin.
GLP-1 slows down digestion by keeping appetite low. GLP-1 plays an important role in keeping blood sugar levels stable.
It is effective on the appetite center in the brain and increases the feeling of satiety by slowing the emptying of the stomach. Recommendations for improving GLP-1 levels:
High protein foods such as fish, milk and yogurt affect the GLP-1 level by increasing insulin sensitivity.
It has been found that women who consume green leafy vegetables such as spinach and cabbage keep their GLP-1 levels in check and lose weight more easily.
Studies have shown that consuming probiotic foods reduces food intake and increases GLP-1 levels.
Cholecystokinin (CCK)
Cholecystokinin is a satiety hormone produced in intestinal cells like GLP-1. It is a natural appetite suppressant. Especially when you eat fiber and protein, it is created near the top of the small intestine and informs the brain that it is no longer hungry.
Recommendations for improving the CCK hormone:
Pay attention to eating protein foods at every meal.
Healthy fats trigger CCK release.
Consuming foods high in fiber increases CCK levels.
Peptide YY (PYY)
PYY is a gut hormone that controls appetite. It is secreted when the stomach expands after a meal and reduces appetite mainly by inhibiting the action of NPY.
It is released by colon cells. PYY is a hormone that plays an important role in reducing food intake and obesity. Prolonged periods of hunger and fasting lower PPY levels. PPY's effect lasts longer than other gut hormones.
It begins to climb about 30 minutes after eating and then stays high for up to two hours. Suggestions for improving PYY levels:
To keep blood sugar balanced, you should avoid processed foods and carbohydrates. High blood sugar can impair the effects of PYY.
Testosterone is the male hormone. Women also generate lower levels of testosterone (15-70 ng / dL). Testosterone helps burn fat, strengthens bones and muscles, and improves libido.
In women, testosterone is produced in the ovaries. Age and stress can significantly reduce testosterone levels in women.
Low testosterone levels cause loss of bone density, loss of muscle mass, obesity, and depression. This increases stress and inflammation leading to more fat accumulation. To check testosterone levels;
Flax seeds, prunes, pumpkin seeds, whole grains, etc. Eat fiber-rich foods such as.
Exercise regularly to help improve testosterone levels and boost metabolism.
Take vitamin C, probiotics, and magnesium supplements to prevent constipation.
Avoid drinking alcohol as it can potentially damage the liver and kidneys.
Take zinc and protein supplements to improve testosterone levels.
Progesterone
Progesterone and estrogen hormones must be in balance to help the body function properly.
Progesterone levels may drop due to menopause, stress, the use of birth control pills, or the consumption of foods containing antibiotics and hormones that convert into estrogen in the body. Ultimately, it can result in weight gain and depression.
Consult the specialist about which birth control would be the best option for you.
Avoid consuming processed meat.
Exercise regularly.
Do deep breathing exercises.
Stay away from stress.
Melatonin
Melatoninis a hormone secreted by the pineal gland that helps maintain the circadian rhythm. Melatonin levels tend to rise from evening to late night and early morning. When sleeping in a dark room, melatonin levels rise and body temperature drops.
When this happens, growth hormone is released that helps the body recover, improves body composition, helps build lean muscle, and increases bone density.
But if its circadian rhythm is disturbed, not enough sleep or necessary darkness to help our bodies heal cannot be achieved. This increases stress that will eventually lead to inflammation-related weight gain. To regulate the melatonin level;
Sleep in a dark room.
Sleep 7-8 hours.
Do not eat late at night.
Turn off all electronic devices such as cell phones and computers before going to bed.
Protein foods such as milk and dairy products, tryptophan Helps stimulate melatonin because they contain.
Bananas also contain the amino acid tryptophan, which increases the production of melatonin.
Glucocorticoids
Inflammation is the first step in the healing process. However, chronic inflammation can lead to undesirable consequences. Weight gain is one of them. Glucocorticoids help reduce inflammation. Glucocorticoids also regulate the use of sugar, fat and protein in the body.
Glucocorticoids have been found to increase fat and protein breakdown but reduce the use of glucose or sugar as an energy source.
Thus, blood sugar levels lead to insulin resistance in the body. Insulin resistance also leads to obesity and even diabetes if left untreated.
To reduce inflammation in the body, reduce physical and mental stress.
Fresh, leafy vegetables, fruits, lean protein and nuts, seeds, olive oil, fish oil, etc. to reduce inflammation. eat healthy fats.
Sleep 7-8 hours.
Drink 3-4 liters of water every day.
Exercise regularly to stay mentally and physically fit.
Spend time with your loved ones.
Depression, anxiety etc. If you have problems, go to the doctor to solve it.
Avoid shock diets as they tend to increase inflammation in the body.
Hormones work together to increase and decrease appetite and to store and burn fat. Every choice you make in life affects this very complex chemistry; where you live, how long you sleep, whether you have children, whether you exercise ...
If our hormone system is not working properly, you may be in trouble with our weight. The diet and lifestyle recommendations listed above have a positive effect on hormones, and it is entirely up to you to change it!
