15. Eat More Fish to Up the Leptin
Most people seem to understand that fish (and fish oil) is good for them, but do any of them know why? I’d wager to say that most don’t. Well, here’s one of several reasons that fish is a power food that will help you lose fat: Leptin.
According to Louis J. Aronne, M.D., Director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, in an
article for Amylin.com:
“Leptin is a key signaling molecule that controls the relationship between fat reserves, appetite and energy expenditure,” writes Aronne. “Decreased leptin signaling in the brain leads not just to hunger but also to increased metabolic efficiency. Thus, as you lose weight, you burn fewer calories based on the same amount of activity. This, in part, results in the well known phenomenon that after an initial weight loss, maintaining the same rate of loss becomes much more difficult.”
People who eat fish regularly tend to have lower levels of the hormone Leptin in their body. Since higher levels of Leptin have often been associated with decreased rate of metabolism, fish has become an essential food for anyone trying to lose fat. So break out the salmon and tuna, squirt on some lemon, and enjoy a (mostly) guilt-free meal!
