How understanding the Gut-Brain connection can help you lose weight.

Overeating can make us gain weight, especially if its high fat,  high sugar  or just plain old junk food.

 “Well…. I knew that”, you might say.  But how and why do some people feel full after a nutritious meal while others are still hungry ,or worse, left with an intense craving for poor food choices?  Those were the questions a multi-institutional  team at Baylor College of Medicine was attempting to explain when their research revealed a previously unknown gut-brain connection that is responsible for turning off the satiety hormone, leptin.

The Baylor study reports that mice consuming a high fat diet show  increased levels of  gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP),  a hormone produced in the gut that is involved in managing the body’s energy balance.  Excess GIP travels through the blood to the brain where it inhibits the action of leptin; consequently, the animals continue to eat and gain weight.  Blocking the interaction of GIP with the brain restores leptin’s ability to inhibit appetite and results in weight loss.

In summary, the researchers found that controlling GIP levels, will  control leptin signaling in the brain  to have us  feel  full,  not overeat,  and not gain weight.

The gut-brain connection has been revealed to be one of the most promising targets in treating obesity. 

Let’s meet some other players in the Gut-Brain connection to weight loss:

• Neurotransmitters– Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, produced in the brain and gut, control cravings and satiation.  The number one craving that serotonin and dopamine control is sugar and carb addiction.
• Leptin-  Leptin, a hormone produced in adipose tissue (fat cells), is responsible for making us feel  full or not.  When this hormone is too low or too high, our brain does not get leptin’s signal to stop eating and we continue to stay hungry.
• Ghrelin- Ghrelin, the “Hunger Hormone”, is responsible for stimulating hunger, and it also is the “go” hormone that tells you to eat.
• Probiotics- Having the right gut bacteria has been proven to be one of the best strategies for good health.  It affects what nutrients you absorb, how energy is stored, what vitamins are produced in you intestines and whether or not you gain weight.

At the Renewal Point, we specialize in balancing body and brain hormones of all kinds in order to give you the best mind, body, spirit and health ever.  Hormone balancing can also be one of your best game plans for fast, healthy weight loss.  We have found that unless all the hormones are balanced, maintaining a healthy weight will be difficult, if not near impossible, for most of us.

With over 30 years of experience and numerous board certifications and credentials, Dr. Watts, MD, ND, MSNM and Helena Williams, ARNP, MS are experts in NeuroAdrenal and Bio-Identical Hormone Balancing.  As hormone balancing is both an art and science, it requires expertise in individualized therapy and ongoing dosing changes based not only on a patient’s diagnostic lab values, but also their symptoms.  Due to the sensitive nature of hormone balancing, it is imperative that you work in partnership with an experienced provider and program.  

To learn more, we encourage you to come to our upcoming seminar (RSVP), visit the website at TheRenewalPoint.com, and/or call 941-926-4905.