View this post on Instagram

PERSONALIZATION #20: GENETICS OF LEPTIN- Leptin was the first gene discovered to affect obesity. As early as the 1950’s there was a strain of mouse called the Ob/Ob mouse that got lean when its circulation was attached to a lean mouse. The lean mouse was thought to have a hormone that could travel to the fat mouse and make it lean. It was named Leptin from the Greek root “leptos” meaning to thin. It is made by fat cells, and when you fast or become malnourished, leptin goes down stimulating more food intake. So leptin is part of the adaptation to starvation and did not work to treat obesity except in a few families with a missing OB gene analagous to the mouse. One drug company spent 20 million dollars developing leptin as a drug for obesity only to have it fail in clinical trials. As you have learned from this series, no single gene or drug target can solve the global epidemic of obesity. My nest series is on Seven Simple Steps for successful weight loss and weight management- So stay tuned! #drdavidheber #obesity #fat cells #genetics #leptin to learn more go to www.drdavidheber.com and www.herbalifenutritioninstitute.com and read Personalized Nutrition and Transformation by Heber and Bowerman available on Amazon.com for $ 5.49.

A post shared by Dr. David Heber (@drdavidheber) on Jan 16, 2018 at 12:13pm PST