Leptin is the primary hormonal regulator of body fatness. Obese people exhibit a resistance to leptin’s effects in the brain, causing the brain to oppose fat loss by multiple mechanisms. Research in animal models suggests that leptin resistance may be required for obesity to develop. How does leptin resistance occur, and what causes it? Research has not yet provided us with definitive answers, but several plausible possibilities have emerged. This talk will review what is known about leptin resistance and its causes.

Abstracts and information about the Ancestral Health Symposium can be found at www.ancestralhealth.org/ahs14program.