Monday, December 27, 2010

Sugar : (Part 8) Leptin Resistance & Cellulite

It's nearing the end of the year, New Year's eve is just around the corner, what's your plan folks? Have you decided where to countdown and party? As for me, I will not be around but I hope to write even though I'm off travelling. All I need is a computer, 30 minutes of free time, and network connection. Just keep my fingers crossed. Today, I would like to write about leptin resistance, how our body responds when we eat a meal and how simple sugar such as fructose could impact leptin signalling to our brain. I will also discuss a bit about fructose connection with cellulite, and I guess the ladies will be interested reading this post.

Unlike other animals, humans have created rituals surrounding the act of eating. If you're like most people, you probably consume three meals a day, set apart by intervals of severals hours, in the morning, afternoon and early evening, with occasional snacks in between. At least a few times a year, you may eat special dinners to celebrate holidays or events, such as weddings, birthdays, Chinese New Year, thanksgiving, etc. There are times, when we go for buffet dinners or similar meals, loading ourselves with enormous amount of calories and sugar.

A part from the social importance of food and dining, however, we eat for obvious reason. Hunger. We eat because we are hungry. Unfortunately, fructose fails us on this basic level, because it does a poor job of satisfying hunger. For some reason, your body's appetite control system ignores fructose, which makes it a kind of phantom food ingredient. As a result, when you eat a high fructose food, your appetite does not becomes satisfied, so you may keep eating.

Let's look at how your body regulates the amount of food you eat. When you eat a meal containing carbohydrates, glucose is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and enters the bloodstream. Cells use glucose to create energy. As blood glucose rise, the pancreas produces insulin. This important hormone ushers glucose into cells, which in turn lowers blood glucose levels. A lot of people do not know why they feel lethargic and sleepy after finish a meal. This is the reason why. Your body goes from hyperglycemic, to hypoglycemic state. This is why it is important to ensure your blood sugar does not spike while consuming a meal. The key is to prevent ups and downs of blood sugar and energy levels. Majority of people are experiencing this 'roller coaster' ride almost every single meal.  If you practice this habit of eating for years, you risks of developing insulin resistance, and increased risk of type 2 Diabetes.

Insulin is a busy hormone, also known as fat-storing hormone. It has a variety of important roles in the body, and one of its tasks is to trigger the release of hormone called leptin from fat cells. Leptin rises in proportion to the amount of fat stored by your body. It acts diretly on the brain cells that are believed to control satiety, or the pleasant sensation of fullness your feel after a meal. At the same time, it turns down the production of your hunger hormone. Together, levels of these hormones deliver a signal to the brain saying, "your appetite has been satisfied, so stop eating".

In addition to eluding the attention of leptin hormone, fructose seems to block this appetite hormone from doin its job, which makes mantaining a healthy weight even harder. A problem known as 'leptin-resistance' occurs when the hormone is unable to deliver its 'stop-eating' message to the brain. As a result, a person with leptin resistance may consume more food then he or she needs to satisfy appetite, which can cause weight gain. Studies indicate that obese people often show evidence of leptin resistance.

High doses of fructose causes leptin resistance. Leptin levels do not rise sharply when you consume high fructose foods. As a result, fructose-rich meals do a poor job of satisfying appetite.Your fat cells do produce leptin when you consume any food, of course, and this is time where I will let you know the connection between fructose and cellulite.

Cellulite is a condition that creates a dimpled or so called 'cottage cheese' appearance in the skin, usually on the hip, buttocks and thighs. Cellulite is most common in females, though it doesn't appear until after puberty. Cellulite usually affects males only if they develop a condition that lowers their testosterone. No one knows for sure what causes cellulite, though these patterns suggest that hormones play a role. Other factors are probably involved as well.

Research suggests that the layer of fat underlying skin with cellulite often develops many of the same metabolic problems that have been linked to a high fructose diet. For instance, studies show that in people with cellulite,  fat cells in the subcutaneous layer of the skin can be highly inflamed. Exposing fat cells to fructose or uric acid can cause the cells to be inflamed and develop oxidative stress. Some research has linked cellulite to diets high in carbohydrates.

There are many so called 'cellulite busting products and treatments' sold in the market that are either unproven or ineffective. Can you trust these treatments? Of course I wouldn't recommend, but yet, the risk and money is yours to decide, think wisely before you spend, we deserve to know if we invested on the right product.

My advise especially for the ladies, if you would want to reduce cellulite formation in your body, cut down foods which is high in carbohydrates, especially sugar, particularly fructose or High Fructose Corn Syrup. Adding sedentary lifestyle and high carbs diet, there goes your hormonal imbalance and production of cellulite. Remember, sugar increases inflammation in the body, affecting skin, blood vessels and cellulite as well. Try to eliminate soft drinks, milk shakes, cakes, doughnuts and 'fruit juices' as well as Agave syrup. Agave syrup has very high fructose content. You might want to reduce honey consumption, and eating low glycemic food would be a good move. And of course, eliminate beer at all course. Say goodbye to cellulite.

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