Hormones that affect appetite: Ghrelin and PYY
Hormones that help keep the line: GLP1 and Leptin
Hormones that make you fat: Cortisol and thyroid hormones
A weight gene?
Pill taking = weight gain?
Hormones that cause swelling: estrogen and progesterone
Manage risk periods
Hormones that affect appetite: Ghrelin and PYY
Where does our feeling of hunger come from?
Partly ghrelin , a hormone secreted by our stomach . Its concentration in the blood escalates before meals to decrease as soon as one begins to eat. Its poor regulation could be involved in long-term weight gain and the return of weight after a diet. The proof: American researchers have put obese on the diet. These people lost on average 17% of their weight, but their secretion of ghrelin jumped by 24%, sign that they are still hungry! In short, better not to titillate his ghrelin with draconian diets if you do not want to do the Yo-Yo.
In contrast, the PYY, a fragment of hormones, would be a natural appetite suppressant .
Released by the intestine after a meal , it gives us a feeling of satiety. "It is indeed able to modulate the brain circuits involved in the appetite , says Dr. Thierry Gibault , nutrition diabetology attaché of the Bichat hospital in Paris. Experiments have even shown that PYY injections can reduce food intake by 30% . But, insists the doctor, from there to see the molecule slimming miracle, there is a step that researchers are careful not to cross. More long-term studies are needed. "
The playing card: Protein at all meals
They would increase the production of PYY (the appetite suppressant) and curb that of ghrelin (the feeling of hunger). A study at the University of Washington proved it. Three types of snacks were given to volunteers: the first contained 80% of lipids, the second 80% of carbohydrates and the third 80% of proteins. Conclusion: those who were on the "protein diet" did not trigger ghrelin production and were not hungry within six hours of snacking. So, if you are the type to have cravings, experience: put more protein (meats, eggs, dairy or even legumes) on your plate and fill your hollows with a protein bar rather than chocolate.
Hormones that help keep the line: GLP1 and Leptin
Released almost instantaneously when we eat food, GLP1 causes secretion of insulin , the hormone that regulates our blood sugar (blood sugar). As a bonus, it slows gastric emptying and increases satiety . "Today, it is even given by subcutaneous injection to type 2 diabetics, says Thierry Gibault. Not only does it allow them to produce insulin, but, unlike other treatments that have tended to make you fat, it makes them thinner. It is currently being studied in non-diabetic obese subjects.
As for leptin, it is the system of self-regulation of our cellulite . This hormone is produced by our adipocytes , the fat cells. The bigger you are, the more you make, and the higher your rate, the less you have an appetite. So, a few years ago, leptin was one of the congresses: we found the ideal "appetite suppressant" for the obese. "Unfortunately," notes Thierry Gibault, "it became apparent that the latter were developing resistance to treatment, making it very quickly ineffective. "
Playing cards: Mediterranean diet and fat matte
Who eats "Mediterranean" (green and dry vegetables, fruits, fish, olive oil) secretes more GLP1 . A clinical trial has also confirmed that fructans - prebiotics promoting good intestinal flora, contained in Jerusalem artichokes, artichokes, asparagus, onions, rye and chocolate - would increase its rate. This established table plan, the ideal would be to go on a "full night" diet. Several studies show, indeed, a link between the time of sleep and the secretion of hormones controlling our appetite and our weight gain . One of them, the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, involved 1,000 volunteers. Those who slept less than 8h per night had a significant decrease in their concentration of leptin (the regulating hormone), an increase in their concentration of ghrelin (responsible for satiety) and a higher body mass index of 1 point ( 3 kg too much, for example, for 1.70 m). In other words, a gain in sleep could be worth a weight loss : lose weight while sleeping, the dream!
Hormones that make you fat: Cortisol and thyroid hormones
She has been nicknamed the stress hormone . A "shot of adrenaline ", and this is our rate of cortisol that climbs . In response to this signal, the body will trigger a need for fatty and sugary foods , to have the energy to fight or run away. But, of course, if we stick to his mouse or tense on his steering wheel, there is no risk of burning this surplus fuel. And these pounds of stress, not evacuated, will preferably come to enlarge our waistline, where the cortisol receptors are the most numerous!
If it's not stress, it may be the thyroid, you say. Very often, it is incriminated when one tends to round out for nothing. Well Named. This small butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of our neck releases hormones that regulate the thermostat of our metabolism . However, when its activity is too low, it burns fewer calories . Result: fatigue, chills and 2-3 kg bonus . "These disorders are very common in women, especially in their fifties," says Thierry Gibault. As part of the Framingham study, a small town perfectly representative of the American population, Dr. Corline Foxe examined the thyroid activity of 2,400 adults while monitoring their weight for more than three years. Verdict: Those who had the lazy thyroid gained weight more easily, even if, medically, they were not considered true hypothyroid.
Playing cards: regular exercise and seafood
Exercise is the best way to manage stress and ... your level of cortisol. But no need to put pressure! Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have experimented with it: 50 minutes of yoga a day is up to 25% less cortisol . To meditate around a plate of seafood . To prolong the relaxation effect, but especially to refuel iodine. It's the fuel of our thyroid. However, according to the CEA (Commission for Atomic Energy, responsible, among other things, to study the ratio of iodine / thyroid), our contributions would be slightly deficient. To counteract this "butterfly effect", it is best to have the marine appetite: crustaceans, oysters, shells and blue fish at will. Still, in case of true hypothyroidism treatment is necessary. It must then consult.
A weight gene?
The Pr Frogel team from the CNRS, associated with Inserm and European teams, has just discovered a new weight gene . The latter plays a key role in the maturation of several key hormones (insulin, GLP1 ...) control of food intake .
Its mutations increase the risk of becoming obese or gaining pounds. This explains, in part, that the French population tends to grow and that obesity has doubled in the last ten years. Nevertheless, our genes and the functioning of our hormones do not explain everything.
The way of life (sedentary lifestyle diet too rich) is also involved in this boom of obesity.
Pill taking = weight gain?
Idea received or reality: does the pill really make you fat? In fact, 80% of women do not take pounds with the current pills , much less dosed than the first generations of hormonal contraceptives.
And studies comparing weight gain between 15 and 25 years for pill users and non-users find no difference. In other words, those who round up in pill would, in any case, had a tendency to make dimples.
Hormones that cause swelling: estrogen and progesterone
This is the reverse of femininity. These hormones are involved in the manufacture of fat and contribute to water retention . During the second phase of the cycle, just after ovulation, the levels of estrogen and progesterone increase to prepare egg implantation and stop the release of two other hormones, FSH and LH . During this period, premenstrual syndrome, with changes in mood, appetite, and 1 to 2 kg intake, is not uncommon. But, most often, it is a feeling of swelling rather than a real weight gain since everything becomes normal again at the arrival of the rules.
The card to play: the blow of carbohydrate bluff
According to a study from the Washington University School of Medicine, promote vegetarian dishes from the 14th day of the cycle and take a snack rich in slow carbohydrates (full bread roll, traditional baguette, for example), two to three hours after meals , could help avoid the "sugar rage" typical of pre-menstrual syndrome. You also have to drink a little less (and not more!) And restrict your salt intake .
Manage risk periods
Between puberty and menopause , women take on average 10 kg. Focus on sensitive periods where hormones - or their disappearance - weigh heavily on the scales.
? At puberty, the chocolate station ... Work undertaken at Tufts University, Boston, revealed that the early onset of menstruation could favor the development of overweight . Now, the average age of puberty has passed in a century from 17 to 13 years. An additional reason not to take light weight excess weight in a preado.
? During pregnancy, long live pasta! In theory, the weight gain should not exceed 9 to 12 kg. But hormones related to pregnancy leading to increased appetite and a profound change in carbohydrate metabolism , there is often skid. The solution: favor slow sugars (breads, starchy foods) and spread them over the day.
? At menopause, we move . Between the ages of 20 and 50, French women grow on average 7.5 kg. A "borough" that intensifies during menopause, because of hormonal changes: we lose muscle, we take belly, and the balance accuses, on average, 2.5 kg extra. Nevertheless, this "capitonnage" is not inevitable. This was demonstrated in a study of 500 Americans: a little less calories (especially lipids), a little more exercise , and we can keep his silhouette of quadra.
