Why part 2 - Leptin Resistance or Why am I always hungry?

Ok, so you have now had a few days to digest the information I gave you on the key players in Insulin resistance. I've given you all of the pieces and now is the time to start tieing the puzzle together.

 

Lets start with Leptin Resistance. If you have forgotten what Leptin is then you need to click here .

 

We know that grains are a very concentrated form of Carbohydrate. We know that Carbohydrates get broken down into sugars. We know that the two main sugars in our foods are Fructose and Glucose.

 

When we eat Fructose (which is the main sugar in fruits and is also the major component of the preservative High fructose Corn Syrup which is found in nearly all processed foods) insulin acts to transport that Fructose to the liver where it is converted to Glycogen (Fructose can only be processed in the liver.)

 

When we eat Glucose, Insulin acts to transport that glucose to either the Liver (again to convert to glycogen), or it is circulated for use by the Brain, Red Blood Cells, and Muscles as a fuel source. This is a wonderful system. However, the problem occurs when we consume too much Carbohydrate.

 

Once the liver glycogen is full, the excess glucose is converted to the Saturated Fat Palmitic Acid (see how this all ties in), This Palmitic Acid attaches to other molecules to form a Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL - We will chat more about these when I do a post on Cholesterol - They're not the best!) which is then sent out as fuel and if not used, is stored as body fat.

 

The problem is that these VLDL's interact with our brain and cause a decrease in Leptin sensitivity. This affects our ability to feel full. We continue to eat even though our bodies fuel stores are full. More VLDL is formed. Can you see a circle forming here. The excess Carbs in our diet keep this circle running. Making us more Leptin resistant, stopping our satiety signals, making us eat more, making us fatter.

So lets review,

• Grains pack a potent Carb punch.
• Excess carbs = conversion to Palmitic Acid
• PA attaches to other molecules to form VLDL.
• VLDL inteacts with brain = reduced sensitivity to Leptin = greater hunger.
• Greater hunger = eat more = weight gain and all it's inherent problems.

That's probably enough for today. Take this information away and think on it. Next lesson will focus more on Insulin.

Post food log and thoughts to comments.