Ever feel like you're always hungry, even if you've just eaten? Or maybe you find yourself grazing all day (or perhaps those irresistible cravings for something sweet seem to come out of nowhere)? A lot of people do! But hear me out: it may not be your fault.

The urge to indulge ties back to two significant players in our body: leptin and our gut microbiome. Let’s unpack these concepts and talk about how we can get them working in our favor instead of against us.

Understanding Leptin: The Body’s Energy Regulator

Leptin is a hormone produced by your fat cells. It signals to your brain when you’re full to help regulate your energy balance. Leptin goes up as fat accumulates in the body, however, if leptin levels remain high over time, our bodies can stop responding to it appropriately—a condition known as leptin resistance. It’s like leptin is knocking on the door saying, “Hey, you’re full. You can stop eating!” but your brain doesn’t pick up the signal because it’s surrounded by too much noise. This miscommunication means you might keep eating because you never really feel full, leading to overeating. This is why it’s essential to keep the lines of communication in our bodies clear so we can hear what they’re trying to tell us about hunger and fullness (Dornbush & Aeddula, 2024).

Enhancing Leptin Sensitivity

To regain our sensitivity to leptin, we have to reduce leptin levels. Imagine trying to communicate in a noisy room. The louder the environment, the harder it is to be heard. Leptin faces a similar challenge in our bodies. By reducing “noise” and enhancing sensitivity, the messages get through more clearly, regardless of the volume. Enhanced leptin sensitivity ensures your body can effectively interpret and act on leptin’s signals – even at lower levels.

The Gut Microbiome + Hunger Signaling

Now, let’s talk about your gut microbiome. Did you know it’s connected to almost every aspect of your health, including hunger signaling and cravings? Some of the byproducts that your gut bacteria produce can trigger hormones that regulate your appetite, including leptin. Plus, specific bacterial strains can even counteract leptin resistance induced by high-fat diets, enhancing gut health and reducing the presence of harmful bacteria. Research has shown that both Bifidobacterium longum PI10 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG specifically have been shown to help restore the body’s response to leptin (Cheng & Liu, 2020; Liu et al., 2022; AbdelMassih et al., 2023). These beneficial bacteria, also known as probiotics, can play a beneficial role in maintaining a healthy gut. Incorporating fermented foods like kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi into your diet is a natural way to boost your intake of these probiotics. While probiotic supplements are another option, consulting with a healthcare professional is advisable to ensure you choose high-quality products. If you want to take a peek at our favorites, you can see them in our Fullscript account here.

Your Gut Microbiome + Cravings

But the gut’s influence doesn’t stop with hunger; it extends to our cravings. The gut-brain axis – a two-way communication street between our gut and brain – means our gut microbes can actually have some say in our eating behaviors. (I know, it doesn’t really seem fair, does it?) These microbes benefit from certain foods we eat (think sugars and fats), prompting cravings that can seem almost conspiratorial in their intensity (Alcock et al., 2014).

Enhancing Leptin Sensitivity and Gut Health: Science-Backed Strategies

Achieving a healthy balance in leptin levels and gut health is crucial for managing cravings and maintaining a healthy weight. Here are some actionable tips grounded in scientific research to help you navigate this journey effectively:

1. Prioritize Quality Sleep:

Leptin, the hormone responsible for signaling fullness to the brain, reaches its highest production levels while we sleep. This time is also vital for the body’s repair and reset processes, highlighting the importance of restful sleep for leptin regulation (Chaput et al., 2023). A great goal is to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to support these essential bodily functions. Here are a few tips to ensure we’re getting the best sleep possible:

Avoid eating a few hours before bedtime.
Keep screens away at least an hour before bed (devices emit a blue light that can disrupt melatonin production).
Balance your circadian rhythm by getting sunlight in your bare eyes first thing in the morning and sleeping in complete darkness at night.
Turn the temperature down before bed (our body temperature must drop for quality sleep, so keeping the temperature between 65-68 degrees is ideal).

2. Incorporate Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Loading up on omega-3-packed goodies like salmon, mackerel, and sardines could seriously boost your leptin sensitivity (Cheng et al., 2020). Plus, these omega-3s are inflammation fighters, and since inflammation can throw your hormone signaling out of whack (yes, leptin included), getting those levels down might help your leptin signals come through much clearer. Here are a couple of recipes you could check out!

3. Reduce Sugar Intake:

Overdoing it on sugar can knock leptin production off balance and stir up gut health troubles, triggering cravings and excessive eating (Mendoza-Herrera et al., 2021). However, reducing sugar doesn’t have to mean giving up on flavor or satisfying meals. Here are some wholesome, naturally sweet alternatives you could add to meals when you're looking to fulfill those sweet or crunchy cravings.

Fresh Fruit: Berries are especially great options, and eating the whole fruit with the skin on will add in extra fiber, feeding your gut and keeping you feeling full for longer.
Sweet vegetables: Incorporate sweet-tasting vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets into your meals. They can satisfy your craving for something sweet while providing valuable nutrients.
Nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, cashews, etc., are great for snacking or adding a crunch to your meals without added sugars.
Dark Chocolate: Choose dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (ideally 70% or more) for a chocolate fix. It’s lower in sugar and contains antioxidants.

4. Moderate Alcohol Consumption:

Consuming too much alcohol can lower leptin levels and harm the gut microbiome, negatively impacting leptin sensitivity. Reducing alcoholic beverages or substituting them with a nutritious mocktail could be a beneficial alternative. Consider trying one of the refreshing mocktail ideas below–or make up your own! (And if you’re feeling fancy, try drinking them out of a martini glass with a stem of rosemary or thyme–or in a rocks glass with a big ice ball.)

Infused water with cucumber, mint, or berries
Sparkling water with electrolyte powder (LMNT citrus, raspberry and watermelon are all delicious) and a twist of lime

5. Manage Stress Effectively:

Stress can send cortisol levels soaring, throwing off leptin signals and the balance of your gut microbiome, which might also crank up your cravings and contribute to weight gain. To counteract this, engaging in activities that lower stress can help your body better respond to hormones like leptin. Consider trying one of these methods to foster a sense of calm:

4-7-8 Breathing Technique: Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven, and exhale slowly for eight. Doing this sequence up to four times can aid in relaxation and improve sleep quality.
Meditation: Find a quiet space and let your thoughts pass without engagement. Starting with just five minutes daily and gradually increasing the time can significantly enhance your sense of peace.
Yoga: Engaging in yoga not only helps in stress reduction but also boosts sleep quality. Research also suggests that practicing yoga for at least 45 minutes weekly positively affects mental health (Madhivanan, 2021).
Walking: A brief walk – even 10 minutes – can clear your mind while lowering cortisol and blood sugar levels. Plus, it’s an excellent opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and soak in some vitamin D.

6. Embrace Regular Exercise:

Engaging in a blend of gentle aerobic exercises and strength training is known to boost gut health and increase leptin sensitivity. This is partly because working out can lower body fat, reducing the "interference" that leptin faces, which may improve how well your body responds to it. You don’t need to do anything ‘extreme’ to get here. Maintaining a gentle, consistent exercise routine and focusing on strength training (to the point where muscles are fully exerted) is the key to tapping into these benefits (Della Guardia & Codella, 2023).

7. Adopt a Balanced Diet:

A diet balanced with proteins, good fats, and fiber can do wonders when it comes to nurturing a healthy gut microbiome. Protein and fat can extend satiety (along with their many other important roles), and fiber is food for the gut microbiome that improves hormone communication. Additionally, research shows that polyphenols (present in vibrant-colored fruits like cherries and berries) are associated with enhanced leptin sensitivity, highlighting the importance of a diverse nutrient intake (Ibars et al., 2018).

When it comes to building out balanced meals, it's all about proper portions and variety. Imagine dividing your plate into sections: half filled with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter dedicated to lean proteins, and a small segment for healthy fats—like a drizzle of olive oil, a little avocado, or a sprinkle of nuts and seeds. For the remaining space, you could introduce a serving of complex carbohydrates, aiming for a fiber-rich choice like additional vegetables, a piece of fruit, a helping of sweet potato, or a scoop of resistant starches such as pre-soaked beans or legumes, which should be cooled after cooking to boost their health properties.

Most importantly…

Having cravings isn't a measure of your strength or who you are—it’s a complex interplay of hormones and gut health. By making little, smart moves to balance your leptin sensitivity and look after your gut, you'll start feeling much more in charge – because you’ll literally start gaining back control!