The Most Important Hormone in Your Fat-burning Arsenal

 By Steve Sisskind M.D.

I would like you to ignore any fears you might have of gaining weight for a moment, and let’s just look at the science and research behind what’s preventing you from losing the fat you already have.

In other words, most people have an idea of why they pack on extra pounds, but they have no clue about why it is so hard to slim down, even when following a healthy eating plan.

One big reason why getting thinner is so hard are low levels of a hormone called, adiponectin. This hormone is quickly gaining a reputation for being a legitimate “fatburner” within research circles because one of its key functions is telling fat-cells to shrink in order to create energy.

And this is exactly what you want fat-cells doing, burning themselves for energy instead of getting bigger and bigger.

Unfortunately, when you have low levels of adiponectin, this is exactly what happens – you put on more pounds. This is because the actual act of getting heavier decreases adiponectin within your cells. You can see how this can cause a vicious cycle… the more you gain, the lower the levels of the very hormone that help you burn it off!

Another part of this vicious cycle is related to the fact that adiponectin also acts as a natural anti-inflammatory.* And I won’t go into too much detail except to point out that inflammation is also a large part of weight-gain due to its role in leptin resistance.

When a person experiences leptin resistance, feeling satisfied in between meals becomes more difficult, and dropping pounds becomes extremely difficult.

This is probably why Dr. Leo Galland, Director of the Foundation of Integrated Medicine recently stated:

“A lack of adequate adiponectin is emerging as a significant factor in people’s ability to melt flab and stay slim.”

So what can you do in order to naturally increase adiponectin?

Here are three simple ways:

1. Consume more Magnesium. It has been shown that eating foods rich in magnesium, like seeds, can increase adiponectin levels. Pumpkin seeds are especially high in magnesium.

2. Intermittent fasting. It has been demonstrated that intermittent fasting (eating one day and fasting the next or other variations) can increase adiponectin levels. However, most people simply are not able to follow this way of life long enough to experience this benefit.

3. Certain Natural Ingredients. Recent research shows that high levels of fish oil seem to raise adiponectin levels as well as a natural combination of wild-crafted Piper Betle leaf and Dolichos Biflorus Seed. This combination taken in the correct amount has been proven to boost adiponectin by 15.3%

What I also found very interesting (and encouraging) is that when people in an 8 week blinded study consumed the piper betle leaf and dochichos seed combination mentioned above, they were not only able to increase their adiponectin levels, they also lost more than twice the amount of weight as the control group.

Yours in health,
Dr. Steve Sisskind, M.D.