Weight Loss Resistance Main Page
A breakthrough connection is raging across local and national news that certain detoxification programs promote radical weight loss and/or the solution to insurmountable weight loss barriers plaguing most Americans. Why do only certain detox programs work and others do not? And what is the hidden connection between true detoxification and breaking through weight loss barriers? Most researchers and media do not know all of the answers-however, they DO recognize that significant weight loss occurs when individuals utilize a handful of detoxification programs. What did we uncover? HORMONE dis-regulation (meaning your hormones are not operating correctly) is causing weight loss resistance, mostly in women but also in men; and toxins are the key factor in hormone dis-regualtion. Experts estimated that 98 percent of those who are significantly overweight are leptin-resistant (see below), most of which is due to an onslaught of toxicity (Shoemaker, 2005). What is Leptin and why is it so important in correcting weight loss resistance? Leptin is the hormone that tells your brain to burn fat for energy. When Leptin is out of balance, despite your best diet and exercise efforts individuals may lose approximately 10 pounds then STOP. You guessed it…the main cause for this hormone mechanism to fail are the toxins polluting our body and cells. So it makes sense that removing these toxins will result in significant weight loss.
THE FAT HORMONE STORY – LEPTIN
In 1995, when Leptin was first discovered, drug companies scrambled to develop a synthetic form of leptin in an attempt to be the first to have the solution to obesity (Pompa, 2007). They figured if leptin tells the brain to burn fat, over weight individuals must be leptin deficient, right? Wrong! They soon realized that obese and overweight people had elevated leptin. Why? It’s analogous to Type II diabetes. A diabetic has plenty of insulin but their cells just can’t use it. The same thing is happening with leptin. Leptin is produced by your fat cells to tell your brain that there is too much body fat and to burn it for energy. Just like with insulin, if this system is challenged enough it will eventually break down. The increase in leptin will eventually cause your brain to ignore the signal to burn fat. Then, the receptors in your brain burn out, aka “leptin resistance.” Once this hormone mechanism fails it becomes nearly impossible to lose weight.
HOW TOXINS AFFECT HORMONES AND WEIGHT LOSS
A recent (March 2008) peer-reviewed study published in the prestigious Journal of American Neurotoxicology and Teratology states that only moderate to small amounts of pesticides in rats cause excessive weight gain by damaging brain structures in brain like the hypothalamus and the pituitary (Lassiter, 2008). What are the Toxins doing to cause weight gain? There are 2 solid reasons…
- When toxins enter your body they have an affinity for fat cells, due to the fact that they are fat soluble. When the toxins attach to the outer cell membrane, which is made of a lipid bi-layer (two layers of fat), it causes the cells to continually release Leptin. And when Leptin is elevated too often, just like Insulin in Type II Diabetes, the receptors burn out and the message is not heard. Remember, Leptin is the hormone that tells the brain to burn fat for energy. Therefore, weight gain that does not respond to exercise or diet is inevitably due to Leptin resistance.
- The toxins also cause the release of chemicals called cytokines that damage Leptin receptors in the brain (hypothalamus). Once the receptors to Leptin have been damaged, Weight Loss Resistance is only the first of many problems. Your body makes another extremely important hormone called MSH (Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone). MSH is produced in the hypothalamus by Leptin, and it controls many, many things in your body: nerve, hormone, cytokine functions, skin and mucus membrane defenses, and the production of endorphins and melatonin. If your brain cannot hear Leptin, and is therefore “Leptin Resistant,” you will eventually become MSH deficient.
What does this mean? It means that every immune and hormone response in your body will be altered. Practically speaking, you feel horrible and cannot figure out why. You find yourself on medications, chasing symptoms on a never-ending downward spiral. The key to 21st century health care is understanding how toxins effect this hormonal cascade, causing inflammation, which leads to so many different diseases like depression, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia … just to name a few. The science of Weight Loss Resistance will bring us out of the dark ages of extreme calorie restricted diets, exercise, and bad medicine- not only for those who struggle to lose weight, but also for those who are challenged with chronic illness. To learn more, call us today at 1-913-441-2293!
