Struggling with maintaining a healthy weight, despite your best efforts? Nutritionist Kathleen Alleaume sheds light on the role of hormones in weight management.

If you have a balanced diet and regular exercise routine but still find it hard to maintain a healthy weight or feel a persistent lack of energy, your food choices might not be the sole culprit. Genetics and lifestyle factors can interfere with normal hormone function which may, in turn, also get in the way of your healthy weight goals.

What are hormones?

Put simply, hormones are chemical messengers. They are how our cells communicate with each other across the body. Our bodies make lots of different hormones, each with its own job. Some of them help control everyday things like lifting our mood or boosting metabolism, while others bring about significant life changes, like starting puberty or menopause.

What role do hormones play in weight management?

Weight management involves a complex interplay of hormones that significantly impact our appetite and body composition. Among these key players are ghrelin, leptin, cortisol, insulin, and thyroid hormones.

Appetite hormones and weight

Ghrelin, known as the hunger hormone, is produced in the gut and signals the brain to stimulate appetite, prompting you to eat. Levels usually rise before meals and decrease after eating.

Leptin, produced by fat cells, has the opposite effect. It gives our brain the heads-up when you’ve had enough to eat, helping to reduce appetite, signalling the body when it’s time to stop eating. Lifestyle effects on leptin and ghrelin Both leptin and ghrelin work in harmony to maintain a balance between hunger and fullness.

However, imbalances in these hormones can lead to disrupted hunger cues and potentially contribute to overeating or weight-related issues. Erratic meal timings or restrictive eating patterns – often seen in fad diets – can wreak havoc on the effectiveness of ghrelin and leptin over time, by exacerbating feelings of hunger and potentially promoting overeating. Altering the functioning of ghrelin and leptin also has the potential to affect the weight set point our body prefers to return to. Weight loss and obesity expert Dr Nick Fuller notes that like metabolism, appetite hormones may not return to their pre-diet levels. This alteration can perpetuate feelings of hunger, even after regaining lost weight. “When you diet or deprive yourself of food, you will be ravenous and continue to search for food. But worse still, even after you stack the weight back on that you lost, your appetite will continue to be elevated so that you put on a little extra fat. This is your body’s way of preparing for the next bout of starvation or dieting you impose in the future,” Dr Fuller explains.

HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE TIP: “You should eat big to small throughout the day as research has proven that we burn the calories from a meal more efficiently in the morning versus the evening. It is also important to eat regularly to prevent excessive hunger and the temptation to reach for processed and fast food. Incorporate morning and afternoon tea and make sure to reach for nature first – ie, seek out foods found in their natural state such as fruits and nuts which make great snacks that also release the feel-good chemicals in the brain to satisfy the high you are looking for”, Dr Fuller says.

Stress hormones and weight

Cortisol, known as the fight or flight hormone, originates from the adrenal glands and manages your body’s stress reaction, influencing how you use fats, proteins and carbs for energy. Cortisol also helps to maintain blood pressure, immune function and the anti-inflammatory processes in the body. Lifestyle effects on cortisol Dieting is a stress on the body and cortisol levels increase with prolonged food restriction. If we experience chronic stress, cortisol may remain in our system, causing significant disruption to various body functions. This includes an increased likelihood of gaining weight around the midsection, heightening the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE TIP: Arm yourself with multiple ways to manage stress. While some stress is fine and helpful for us, too much chronic stress needs to be addressed. Meditation, walking, yoga, swimming, catching up with friends, listening to music and dancing are all good stress busters. Find out what works for you.

Insulin and weight

Insulin plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar levels and how the body uses and stores energy. Its primary role is to facilitate the uptake of glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into cells. Higher insulin levels can lead to metabolic issues, weight gain and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle effects on insulin Lifestyle choices such as poor diet and inactivity profoundly influence insulin efficiency, playing a pivotal role in blood sugar regulation and weight management. Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight becomes crucial, as excess body weight, particularly around the abdomen, correlates with reduced insulin sensitivity.

HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE TIP: Healthy eating and regular physical activity are cornerstones in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. A diet high in refined sugars, processed carbohydrates and saturated fats can compromise insulin sensitivity, while a fibre-rich eating plan including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins supports optimal insulin function.

Thyroid hormones and weight

Thyroid hormones serve as pivotal regulators of metabolism and weight. They dictate the pace at which energy is burned, directly impacting body weight.

Lifestyle effects on thyroid hormones

It’s not completely clear what lifestyle behaviours may contribute to the development of thyroid disease, but pregnancy and iodine deficiency are potential risk factors. If the thyroid gland becomes either excessively active or sluggish, it can impact metabolism, resulting in a range of symptoms.

HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE TIP: Iodine is essential to produce thyroid hormones and deficiencies can hinder thyroid function. The recommended intake of iodine for adults is about 150 micrograms each day. Good sources include fortified bread and any type of seafood, including seaweed.

Interested in finding out the best foods for balanced hormones? Read more: The best foods to eat for hormonal harmony