When it comes to hormones, the first thing that comes to mind is mostly puberty, thyroid issues, menopause or “that time of the month.” But you’d be surprised to know that the food we consume and the physical activities we do, or lack thereof, can have a huge impact on our hormonal health and weight. They are the ones that influence our appetite and how much fat we store. An imbalance in these hormones can affect weight gain and weight loss and could even be part of the problem or maybe even the whole problem. Hence, the reason why you easily put on weight and having a hard time shedding it off may be due to hormonal imbalance.In fact, some hormonal imbalances can make it downright impossible to lose weight!
What are hormones?
Hormones are powerful chemical messengers that regulate processes in our body. Apart from blood sugar control and insulin balance, our hormones control our metabolism and therefore are intricately linked to the amount of fat we gain or lose. The hormones leptin and insulin, along with our sex hormones and growth hormones influence our appetite, metabolism, and body fat distribution. Hence, to simply put, burning fat and achieving weight loss is indeed partly a hormonal event.
Here are some of the hormones you should know that may, or may not, affect your weight:
    1. Insulin
Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that manages our blood sugar levels and promotes fat storage especially around the gut. It helps stimulate sugar uptake from the blood in cells and tissues such as fat, liver and muscles.This is an important process to ensure that energy is available for everyday functioning and to maintain normal levels of circulating glucose.
An imbalance in insulin production can result in insulin resistance, where cells stop responding effectively to insulin. The glucose to energy-conversion process is disrupted, causing glucose levels to stay elevated longer than they need to. This causes more calories to be converted into body fat instead of being used for energy, and ultimately lead to the development of type-2 diabetes. To sum up, weight gain is the most common cause of insulin dysfunction (though not all people with type 2 diabetes are overweight).Therefore, keeping insulin levels in check is vital not just for preventing diabetes, but also for maintaining a healthy weight.
     2. Cortisol
Also known as the stress hormone, cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands when the body senses stress. Cortisolis a catabolic hormone by nature and like any other hormones, it is vital for survival. It affects every cell in our body, breaking down proteins into amino acid building blocks to help fuel the body in times of stress, trauma, illness, infection, etc.
However, chronic cortisol high levels can result in overeating and weight gain. This is evident from the several studies that showed how women with excess weight around the middle respond to stress with a greater increase in cortisol. Additionally, cortisol and insulin are known to have some sort of connection. When cortisol is elevated due to mild to moderate periods of stress (typically chronic stress), insulin is also typically raised which can make weight loss difficult.
     3. Thyroid
Thyroid hormones, which are produced by the thyroid gland, is another common hormonal imbalances that affect weight loss. Apart from this, it also affects almost everything from stimulating fetal growth to reducing heart rate and body temperature to regulating metabolic rate, the rate at which one burns calories.
The thyroid produces both inactive and active form of hormones known as T4 and T3 respectively. The T4 is transported through the blood, and once it reaches each cell, it is converted to the active T3 form.However, due to underactive thyroid, not everyone can convert T4 into T3, and this is actually quite a common problem. And since both these hormones are crucial for regulating our metabolism, a low function of the thyroid may cause the entire metabolism to be slow which makes weight gain likely, often in short periods. Underactive thyroid also causes Hypothyroidism, a condition that makes it much harder to lose weight even with proper diet and exercise.
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     4. Testosterone
Many often associate the testosterone hormone with men, but women need this too, just in smaller quantities. It is the one responsible for building and maintaining muscle massand helps tamp down body fat. Besides, it also helps activate insulin hormones, which are essential for healthy weight management. Hence, if testosterone levels are low, it can contribute to insulin resistance issues, which can cause excessive weight gain.Â
Certain factors contribute to low testosterone, such as obesity and alcoholism. However, the most common cause is age. Testosterone levels begin to lower for both men and women in their late twenties to early thirties and by fifty, they are about half of what they once were at their peak. When testosterone levels are low, visible changes can be seen as fats starts to take over the muscle mass, resulting in sagging skin.Â
Preserva’s Vitalboost Tablets is made using pure and potent natural ingredients that are known to help boost testosterone levels and other issues relating to men’s health. It is an Ayurvedic-based multivitamin supplement that improves muscle mass and strength, both essential for supporting a healthy weight.
    5. Oestrogen
Oestrogen hormone is one of the main sex hormones for women that is also present in men but in lower quantity. This hormone helps trigger puberty in girls and regulates fertility.Apart from these, it also helps protect the cardiovascular system and bones and influences mood. Oestrogen is also another hormonal imbalance that affects weight loss and can occur at any age.
Just as with testosterone, oestrogen levels begin to wane a few years before menopause, making the body hold on to fat easier than before,especially around the abdominal area.It also causes muscle mass to decline, resulting in more fat in the body.
Boosthealth Tablets by Preserva Wellness help balance an imbalance in hormones often experienced by women. It is a natural-based multivitamin supplement that helps manage issues such as PCOS & PCOD as well as issues that stands in the way of achieving a healthy weight.
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Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers regarding any health complaints or before making any dietary changes.