Hormone Theory vs. Calorie Theory of Weight Loss

Obesity and the 20th-21st Century

• With modern life comes many conveniences • The busier we are the more likely we are to utilise

as many conveniences as possible • Most people are incredibly time poor due to work,

families and extra-curricular activities• Unfortunately the business contributes to poor

health in a number of ways:– Poor food choices– Lack of exercise– Increased stress levels

Obesity Trends

Financial Cost

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Personal Cost

• Social isolation• Increase risk for disease• Increased prevalence of disease• Pain • Loss of income • Loss of health • Loss of confidence

So why are we so overweight?

• Modern food is incredibly processed – this breaks the bonds between the molecules in food and releases energy very quickly

• Sugar is found in almost every processed food (even savoury food)

• Fat has been removed from food• Misinformation is everywhere• The food industry controls the nutritional messages

being given to the public• People are moving much less and are less fit

Why is weight loss difficult

• Society is saturated with food messages• Food is available at all times of the day• Unhealthy food is more readily available, more

accessible, more convenient and often incredibly cheap• Sugar is very addictive• The messages around weight loss are confusing• Food is more than just calories and nutrients – there is a

social and emotional element to eating• The calorie theory of weight loss is the conventional

belief but it doesn’t address crucial issues

Calorie Theory of Weight Loss

• Calories in should be less than calories out• I.e. move more eat less• Obesity is then nothing more than over

consumption of calories • What food you’re eating doesn’t matter so

much as the energy density of the food • Whilst calories do matter to a degree, they

cannot be the only thing to take into consideration when trying to lose weight

Move more, eat less

• Quite an unhelpful statement for a number of reasons:– Fat, carbohydrate and protein all cause very different

effects on our body– Different hormones are stimulated dependent on what we

eat – How many calories are in food is a guess – How many calories we burn on a day to day basis is a guess– It puts the blame on people when sheer will power cannot

keep the weight off (because they’re hungry all the time)

Hormonal Theory of Weight Loss • The theory that the macronutrient content of food

is far more important the estimated caloric content• The macronutrient content influences the the

hormones that our body produces• Therefore, hormones are the driving force behind

weight gain and weight loss• This makes sense as it is our neuroendocrine

system that regulates appetite • Refined carbohydrate, especially grains and

fructose, have an ability to disrupt the neuroendocrine system

Inflammation and Hormones

• Somehow inflammation and hormone dysfunction are intertwined

• Did the inflammation cause the hormone dysfunction or vice versa?

• Ultimately, you deal with the inflammation and you will fix the hormones

Hormonal Theory of Weight Loss• Insulin (produced in response to increased blood glucose levels) is a

fat forming hormone; insulin tells the body to a) stop breaking down fat and using it as a source of energy and b) start making more fat

• Many obese people are insulin resistant • Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells (adipokine); it helps regulate

our long term energy balance and suppresses food intake (Klok, Jakobsdottir & Drent, 2007)

• People who are obese are leptin resistant• Ghrelin is our hunger stimulating hormone and it works with leptin to

assist in regulating appetite• It has been found that obese people have low levels of ghrelin and

are leptin resistant (Klok, Jakobsdottir & Drent, 2007)• This indicates a picture of hormone dysfunction that would

profoundly affect appetite regulation

The Complexities of Weight Loss

• Over the years, I have heard many people, who struggle with weight loss, talk about constantly feeling hungry no matter how much food is consumed

• Research is indicating that sugar (fructose) may be able to influence hunger and drive obesity (Melanson et. al., 2008)

• Leptin resistance would also leave someone feeling hungry all the time

• Low fat diets (i.e. restrict calories in) will not address leptin resistance

Re-setting Hormones

• Reduce your inflammatory mediators (stress, omega 6, seeds oils, sugar, refined carbohydrate etc.)

• You need to fast (Hallberg et. al., 2005) • Increase your soluble fibre (think gut health) (

Islam et. al., 2012)• High intensity exercise (short duration, short volume) (

Fatorous et. al., 2005)• Get 7.5-8 hours of unbroken sleep (Taheri et. al., 2004)• Eat low carb, moderate protein, high fat (all

unprocessed)