Interested in understanding relationship between hormones and weight loss? This article will explain how your hormones can help you achieve the goal of weight loss. Read on if you are inquisitive.....
It can be shocking to hear but it is a fact that your hormones can make you fat. Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin are some of the main hormones which play an important role in maintaining your weight. Imbalance of hormones and weight gain go hand in hand. Hormones are powerful chemicals that influence body metabolism and hence body weight. Let us see how hormones and weight loss are interrelated.
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Hormones activate or hinder the functioning of the immune system, groom the body for puberty, parenthood or menopause, control the reproductive cycle and regulate metabolism. They can stimulate or inhibit growth. Many women complain of weight gain during menopause. In fact, hormonal levels change from day to day, changing your mood, affecting your metabolism which can finally influence your energy levels. It should be kept in mind that changes in hormonal levels are largely dependent on your lifestyle. It has been proved by scientists that an increase or a decrease in a specific hormone is the consequence of the body adapting to the level of activity you choose to do.
When males become less active, a gradual decline in the testosterone hormone within the blood is noticed. One of the main functions of testosterone is to boost the metabolism and help lower fat levels. So a decline in testosterone levels may lead to fat gain in males. Thus it is quite clear that a change in lifestyle can trigger the reduction of testosterone in the blood levels. This proves that hormones can promote weight loss.
If you opt for a more active lifestyle, it creates a need for the body to adapt to the increase in stress. Body cells will receive the message to speed up the chemical reactions leading to a change in the body’s hormones which in turn will boost the metabolism. Exercise will thus result in the break down of muscles and weight loss.
Growth Hormones and Weight Loss
The main function of growth hormone is to stimulate protein synthesis (muscle tone/development). Thus growth hormones are responsible for the strength of your bones, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Growth hormones also play an important role during exercise. These hormones decrease use of glucose and increase use of fat as a fuel during exercise. This results in reduction of body fat and this also helps to maintain blood glucose at a normal level which in turn allows you to exercise for a longer period of time. Remember, if you perform aerobic exercises for increased period of time or if you perform more intense exercises, release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland in the brain is also increased.
Pregnancy Hormones and Weight Loss
Injecting yourself with human pregnancy hormone is certainly not a good idea to achieve weight loss. Some fad diets involved extreme calorie restrictions along with injections of human chorionic gonadotrophic hormone. Studies proved that this was a fraud.
Estrogen and Weight Loss
High levels of estrogen are present in female blood. It enhances fat breakdown from body fat stores so that it can be used as fuel. It increases basal metabolic rate (metabolism), elevates your mood and is also responsible for increased libido. It is observed that the ovaries begin to produce less estrogen when a woman begins to approach menopause. It is also observed that the amount of estrogen secreted by the ovaries increases with exercise and blood levels may remain elevated for one to four hours after exercise.
Similar relationship is noticed between other hormones and weight loss. For example, insulin, epiphrine, thyroxine and endorphins also help in weight loss. The amount of hormones released from the glands in the human body is proportional to the intensity and duration of exercise. Your hormones can help you achieve weight loss but for this, you need to encourage your 'metabolism boosting' hormones by choosing an active and healthy lifestyle.
By Leena Palande
Published: 6/2/2010
