Obesity And Androgens In Men:
Testosterone should be measured in the morning when its serum concentration is at its peak and we recommend repeating an abnormal measurement for confirmation. Evidence indicates that testosterone deficiency in men induces increased adiposity and, at the same time, increased adiposity induces hypogonadism . It is known that obesity in men is associated with low total T and reduced SHBG levels . An obesity-associated decline in SHBG might partially explain the observed fall in T levels. However, an increased BMI is associated with a low measured, or calculated, free- and bioavailable-testosterone. In one study of 160 obese men, more than 40% of those with a BMI 40 kg/m2 had a free testosterone level below normal .
While the specific pathogenic mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are complex and not completely understood, obesity has been associated mostly with secondary hypogonadism and, in a minor degree, with primary hypogonadism . Male obesity-associated secondary hypogonadism has been attributed to multiple factors, including obstructive sleep apnea, development of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and also the increased body fat mass itself with its multiple adipokines . Obstructive sleep apnea predisposes to MOSH since it reduces LH pulse amplitude and decreases mean serum levels of LH and T in men, and it may also cause disruption of the association between a rise in serum T levels and the appearance of first REM sleep .
Why Can Hormones Affect Weight Loss
As we know, hormones support many vital functions within the body, including our ability to maintain muscle, lose body fat, and experience stress and hunger. When a hormonal imbalance occurs, it becomes considerably harder to lose weight.
But dont worry if your progress has plateaued, hormones are not the be-all and end-all for weight loss. Remember to prioritise your food quality and calorie intake to reap the benefits of a healthy diet and create an environment for optimal hormone production.
Hormones that affect female weight loss include:
Why Are You Gaining Weight Hormones Might Be The Problem
If youre gaining weight, chances are poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle are the reasons. But thats not always the case. A hormonal imbalance also can cause you to pack on the pounds.
Obesity continues to be an issue in the United States, bringing with it an increase in chronic health issues such as coronary heart disease and many forms of cancer.
When hormones are the culprit, losing weight poses additional challenges.
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Hormones And Weight Gain: How To Fix The Hormones That Control Your Weight
Did you know that your weight is directly related to your hormones? This is a fact many of us forget as we travel along the often slow and frustrating road to weight loss. To maintain a weight thats healthy for our unique bodily makeup, a delicate balance of hormones is required. If certain hormones are off-kilter, weight gain often results.
In order to lose weight and keep it off we must understand the intricate inner workings of our many hormones. Once we understand the relationship between hormones and weight gain, we can take the proper steps to balance these hormones and lose weight in a sustainable, healthy way.
What Is Hormonal Imbalance
Dr. Amy Beckley, PhD, Founder and Inventor of the Proov test the first and only FDA-cleared test to confirm successful ovulation at home.
Did you know that our hormones need balance as well?
Ah, balance. Many of us strive for it in our daily lives balance between work and play, spending and saving, the list goes on.
Did you know that our hormones need balance as well? In order to live and feel our best, balanced hormones are so important! Keep reading to learn more about hormonal imbalance.
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Understand How Insulin Impacts Weight
Insulin is one of the most important hormones when it comes to weight loss and weight gain. Made by the pancreas, insulin is responsible for storing blood sugar, or utilizing it, depending upon your bodys needs of the moment. After you eat a large meal, a substantial amount of insulin releases itself into the bloodstream. It also enters the bloodstream as needed throughout the day, ensuring that blood sugar levels remain stable.
Another key function of this essential hormone is fat storage. Insulin decides how much fat to store, and how much to convert for energy expenditure. Chronically high levels of insulin can lead to a condition known as insulin resistance, which is linked to an uptick in blood sugar as well as continued elevated insulin levels.
Preventing this insulin imbalance is crucial, as it leads to weight gain, and eventually type 2 diabetes. When insulin levels remain high over an extended period of time, obesity and metabolic syndrome are often the unfortunate outcome.
Improve The Quality And Quantity Of Your Sleep
Sound slumber is a health-giving essential. But often when we think about restless nights, we only consider the consequences in terms of grumpiness and fatigue. Its so much more!
So, before we dive in, ask yourself:
Do you prioritize sleep?
Do you sleep well?
Do you wake feeling refreshed?
Sleep is an important regulator of hormone function. And sleep is in part responsible for your hormones. As the journal article, Sleep and obesity, said, loss of sleep results in decreased glucose tolerance, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased evening concentrations of cortisol, increased levels of ghrelin, decreased levels of leptin, and increased hunger and appetite.
Its no wonder, then, that insomnia is strongly linked to overweight and obesity!
If there is one easy way to shift your hormones into a state that encourages a healthy waistline, its sound slumber.
To discover top science-backed ways to boost your shuteye, read 6 Ways To Improve Your Quality Of Sleep. Your hormones and your physique will thank you!
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Increased Or Imbalanced Cortisol Levels
Cortisol is a hormone that helps the body manage and respond to stress or danger and plays an essential role in our flight or fight response. When you feel stressed, your adrenal glands will produce more cortisol, which sends signals to your body to store more fat.
Suppose you are dealing with high levels of stress, anxiety or any stress-related disorders. In that case, your body will produce increased amounts of cortisol, and high cortisol levels can lead to excess belly fat and weight gain.
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Behaviour And Obesity Hormones
People who are obese have hormone levels that encourage the accumulation of body fat. It seems that behaviours such as overeating and lack of regular exercise, over time, ‘reset’ the processes that regulate appetite and body fat distribution to make the person physiologically more likely to gain weight. The body is always trying to maintain balance, so it resists any short-term disruptions such as crash dieting.Various studies have shown that a person’s blood leptin level drops after a low-kilojoule diet. Lower leptin levels may increase a person’s appetite and slow down their metabolism. This may help to explain why crash dieters usually regain their lost weight. It is possible that leptin therapy may one day help dieters to maintain their weight loss in the long term, but more research is needed before this becomes a reality.There is evidence to suggest that long-term behaviour changes, such as healthy eating and regular exercise, can re-train the body to shed excess body fat and keep it off. Studies have also shown that weight loss as a result of healthy diet and exercise or bariatric surgery leads to improved insulin resistance, decreased inflammation and beneficial modulation of obesity hormones. Weight loss is also associated with a decreased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes and some cancers.
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You Have An Estrogen To Progesterone Imbalance
Many women especially those of childbearing age have an estrogen dominance problem. If you exercise strenuously, you could be making less progesterone and estrogen is dominating, leading to weight gain in the hips, thighs and bottom. Other causes of estrogen dominance include disrupted ovulation , and supplementing with estrogen alone, in the absence of its balancing partner, progesterone. Or environmental factors such as pesticides, plastics, industrial waste products, car exhaust, meat, soaps, and chemicals in furniture and carpets could be part of the problem.
Diet, most importantly making sure you eat hormone-free , environmental avoidance of xenoestrogens, and taking supplements can bolster your natural progesterone production and decrease estrogen dominance. Check out the Environmental Working Group for the full revelations and actions you can take!
Balance Your Hormones For Weight Loss
There is a strong connection between hormones and weight gain. When hormone levels increase or decrease, a chain of events occurs. Your body forgets its full, the metabolism slows, and your weight increases.
Thankfully, hormonal weight gain is treatable. Our team strives to assist men and women struggling with hormonal imbalances. Contact us to learn more about our hormone and weight loss treatments.
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Hormones Incidental In Weight Gain
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, hormones can control everything from metabolism and energy levels to growth and development. Hormones play a role in weight, experts told USA TODAY but they are not the primary driver of weight gain, as the post claims.
Dr. Artur Viana, clinical director of the Metabolic Health & Weight Loss Program at Yale University, said that while hormones are involved in obesity, they are not the sole cause. Robert Lustig, professor emeritus of pediatrics at the University of California-San Francisco, told USA TODAY theres an ongoing debate in the nutrition field over the extent to which hormones contribute to obesity.
Is obesity a problem of energy balance, or is obesity a problem of energy storage? he said. If its a problem of energy balance, its all about calories. If its about energy storage, then the question is: Whats storing it? And the answer is one of two hormones: insulin and cortisol.
For example, when blood sugar rises, the hormone insulin goes up, allowing sugar to exit the blood and enter cells where it is needed. But when cells receive more sugar than they need, fat begins to accumulate. However, insulin itself doesn’t cause weight gain.
Lustig’s recommendation for people looking to lose weight is simple: Stop eating sugar.
Thats numbers one, two and three, he said. Get rid of the sugar, get rid of the sugar, get rid of the sugar.
Causes Of Leptin Resistance
- Excessive fat in the body produces excessive leptin which the brain fails to recognize.
- High cholesterol. Too much triglyceride in the blood has been shown in studies to block leptin’s journey to the brain.
- Insulin resistance. As a result of IR, your tryglicerides also go up which, as you read, interferes with leptin.
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Other Factors That Influence Hormones
Sleep, activity, and stress can also affect hormones that influence body weight.
Getting enough sleep is essential for optimal health. Not getting enough sleep is associated with hormonal dysregulation.
Sleep deprivation is linked to insulin and leptin resistance and hunger hormone derangement, which may lead to increased appetite, decreased fullness, overeating, and weight gain (
- improve the bodys sensitivity to insulin
- increase testosterone levels in men
- reduce leptin levels in people with overweight and obesity
- improve response of fullness hormones after meals
Controlling stress is important for healthy hormonal response as well. Chronic stress may alter the hormones responsible for appetite regulation, which may contribute to increased calorie intake and weight gain .
For this reason, managing stress is an important part of promoting optimal hormonal health and maintaining a body weight thats healthy for you.
Summary
Many factors may impact hormones that influence your weight. Following a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, staying active, and managing stress are evidence-backed ways to promote hormonal health.
What Else Can Affect My Weight
Hormones, sleep and stress
According to CDC, 68 percent of U.S. population is obese or overweight. However, hormonal conditions that cause weight gain only account for about 5 percent, so that doesnt completely explain it, says Dr. Mahmood. Its much more complex than we think it should be.
Hormones play a role, but big picture, we must look at the underlying cause of those hormone abnormalities. For example, high cortisol levels could be off because of too much alcohol consumption and/or depression.
Poor sleep and stress affect our hormones and can cause weight gain. For women, perimenopause and post menopause often come with changes in weight too.
If youre interested in determining if a hormonal imbalance might play a role in your weight, you can speak to a primary care doctor, OB-GYN, or an endocrinologist.
False sense of hunger
When you feel hungry, your body may be responding to things other than a need to eat food.
First, we have to understand what the hunger is, says Dr. Mahmood. What we know from studies is symptoms of thirst, hunger and stress can affect us the same way. So, is it really hunger or is it something else happening that makes you want food?
In order to relieve symptoms of true hunger, you need just 300 calories. This is a helpful rule of thumb when it comes to an afternoon slump or other time when youre feeling peckish between meals.
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Understanding The Benefits And Risks
Recent findings show that although not completely risk-free, HRT remains the most effective solution for helping with symptoms of menopause and is also effective for the prevention of osteoporosis. It may also provide protection against heart disease.
When deciding whether to have hormone replacement therapy , it is also important to understand the risks.
You may have heard about a link between breast cancer and HRT. Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence say that HRT is effective and recommend that it should be offered to women with menopausal symptoms.
Hormonal Imbalances You Cant Control
Again, even if youre doing everything right and utilizing these tips to try to keep your hormones in balance, you may still require some help from your doctor.
Checking your hormone levels in order to find out which of these are higher or lower and which may require more balance can help. This way, you will know what is creating your weight gain or loss and how you can better manage the issue at home and with your doctors help.
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Risk Factors Of Hormonal Weight Gain
There are many risk factors for hormonal weight gain. These are genetic and lifestyle factors that can contribute to the onset of hormone-related obesity. Genetics plays a role in hormones and weight. The likelihood of gaining weight and developing hormone-related diseases is higher in families that have a history of being overweight or obese. Sedentary behavior has been connected to hormone-related illnesses and weight gain.
Another risk factor that is associated with hormonal weight gain is age. With increasing age, there are fewer levels of sex hormones that you are exposed to.
Can I Lose Hormone Weight
The first step is always to work with your doctor to diagnose the underlying cause. This often includes a blood or urine test to check current hormone levels and identify any inconsistencies.
Should test results reveal your weight gain is related to estrogen or testosterone deficiencies, hormone replacement therapy can be a viable option, but comes with risks and side effects. For example:
Testosterone replacement therapy , while able to correct some physical issues, is also linked to an increase in sleep apnea, acne and raised red blood cell counts, which can raise your risk of blood clots and heart attacks.
Estrogen replacement is not safe for women who have had cancer, liver disease or issues with vaginal bleeding. Treatment risks include blood clots, heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer and gallbladder disease.
Thyroid issues like hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism can stem from autoimmune thyroid disorders, inflammation or be hereditary. Treatment is a lifelong, daily medication regimen designed to replace your missing or imbalanced hormones. If the hormone imbalance is caused by an autoimmune condition like Hashimoto’s disease or Graves disease, your doctor will advise you on the risk of side effects from iodine and supplements, food and medicines to avoid.
Losing hormonal weight is possible, and together with your doctor you can develop a program that works best for you.
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When Should I See An Endocrinologist For Weight Gain
There are a wide range of hormonal issues that may cause sudden, unexplained weight gain. These include thyroid deficiency, declining estrogen , and polycystic ovary syndrome . Weight gain may also be accompanied by other symptoms, such as headaches, insomnia, mood swings, and heavy or painful periods. If you find yourself gaining weight with no apparent explanation or changes in diet or exercise, you should discuss this with your doctor. An endocrinologist can help identify hormonal imbalances by reviewing your symptoms and performing laboratory tests when necessary.
Good Exercise Choices After Menopause
What types of exercise can best help you lose and maintain weight after menopause?
- Strength training, or a weight-resistance exercise program, helps build muscle mass and improve metabolism. Strength training also helps you maintain bone mass. Because you lose muscle mass as you age, add strength training to your workouts, if you haven’t before. Aim for two or three times a week. Examples of strength training include weight machines, dumbbells, exercise bands, yoga, and gardening.
- Low-impact aerobics are good for your heart and lungs. Walking, for example, is one of the best choices, because you can do it anywhere, anytime. Other examples of aerobic exercises include swimming, cycling, aerobics, tennis, and dance. Exercise moderately for at least 30 minutes most, if not all, days of the week.
- Whenever you can, add activity to your day. Wash the car, play hide and seek with your kids or grandchildren, get in a game of ping pong, etc.
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