| The study was carried out by a team which specialises in the brain cell processes that produce learning and memory. The BBC report that Jenni Harvey, one of the researchers, said: "The hormone leptin, which is known to control food intake and body weight, has been shown to exert a profound influence on learning and memory processes in a region of the brain called the hippocampus. "Leptin enhances the level of communication between brain cells in the hippocampus in a process known as long-term potentiation (LTP)." Gene defects It has been shown previously that people suffering from obesity have defects in their leptin levels and in the LTP process. The researchers' findings could therefore shed light on how obesity affects learning and memory. Dr Harvey said: "Defects in either leptin or genes that regulate leptin result in obesity and also cause impairments in LTP." How can leptin cause so many problems? According to Byron Richards, CCN, author of "Mastering Leptin - The Leptin Diet: Solving Obesity and Preventing Disease", there are three main ways leptin causes problems: - Leptin problems enforce starvation metabolism and slow metabolic rate, resulting in adverse consequences in using energy everywhere in the body, which affects everything in an adverse way.
- Low leptin in the brain exposes brain cells to excessive damage, resulting specifically in damage to NMDA receptors. This increases the risk for Parkinson's disease. It also provokes an inflammatory chain of events in the brain leading to the accumulation of plaques that cause Alzheimer's disease.
- Extra pounds of fat give off excess inflammatory signals that cause all diseases of ageing.
What causes leptin problems? According to Richards, leptin problems are caused by overeating, eating at night, snacking between meals, lack of exercise, and stress. More rarely there is genetic involvement. Does leptin cause other problems? Byron Richards states in the above book that malfunctioning leptin causes major health problems. These include insulin resistance, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome X, diabetes, heart disease, reproductive problems, sex hormone problems, thyroid problems, fibromyalgia, increased risk for cancer, and increased risk for cognitive decline. According to Richards, leptin plays a primary role in these problems and is frequently the main cause of them. What can be done to overcome leptin imbalances? The above mentioned book, "Mastering Leptin" shows us clearly how we can rebalance the hormone, in a surprisingly easy way, through diet. This straightforward way of eating is described briefly in our related article The Five Rules for Mastering Leptin - the Hunger Hormone Other related articles: Newsletter: Breakthrough in Understanding Weight Gain Waist to Hip Ratio Information Body Mass Index Information and Chart | 
