Nutrition 101: The relationship between your hormones and the food you eat
Understanding how your diet affects your body functions may lead to healthier choices. And when we talk about satiety and hunger, two major hormones come to the mind of nutritionists - leptin and ghrelin.
GMANetwork.com consulted with UP Professor Luchi Callanta, a board member of the Philippine Society of Nutritionists-Dietitians, to discuss the relationship of hormones and the food we eat.
Hormones and appetite
1. Leptin
Leptin is also referred to as the satiety hormones as one of its functions include signaling fullness.
Prof. Callanta explains, “It tells your brain, 'Puno ka na, dapat tumigil ka na kumain.'”
While most people mistake that it's better to have higher levels of leptin, she further clarifies that people should rather focus to increase one's sensitivity to it.
According to Prof. Callanta, one can improve his or her sensitivity to leptin by increasing their physical activities, getting enough sleep, and eating anti-inflammatory foods as well as those high in fiber.
2. Ghrelin
Leptin works hand in hand with ghrelin which is referred to as the hunger hormone.
Prof. Callanta discusses this, saying, “Ghrelin levels during dieting or calorie restrictions will increase and will lead to more cravings 'no. It will lead also to very bad food choices. So what you want to do is to lower your ghrelin because the higher the ghrelin, the hungrier you are going to feel.”
Thus, she strongly discourages people to undereat and go on calorie deficits without the proper guidance of nutritionist-dieticians.
She says, “If you undereat, what happens is ghrelin levels are increased and will help you consume more food and calories. So dapat aware lang ang mga tao. And the way to lower your level of ghrelin is number one, eat regularly three meals per day.
“You need to eat whole foods. 'Wag masyadong marami sa highly processed food because that will lead to inflammation. Mataas siya sa ingredients that can cause inflammation in your body… Healthy fats can decrease ghrelin levels.”
Food affecting other hormones
While leptin and ghrelin are the two major hormones that play roles in our satiety and hunger, our nutrition may also influence other hormones.
1. Insulin
Another hormone that may affect our weight and overall health is insulin.
Prof. Callanta illustrates an example, saying, “When you eat extra carbohydrates, it gets stored as glycogen in your muscles and in your liver. When the pancreas releases the glucagon, this is like a signal for the liver to release your glycogen so meron ka pa ring good energy source.
“Itong feedback system will keep your sugar level steady. Kaso overtime, usually as you reach 40 to 45, hindi na maganda. Magkakaroon tayo ng insulin resistance that can lead to diabetes.”
To cope with this, she suggests controlling your intake and choosing complex carbohydrates.
2. Estrogen
Estrogen, the primary female sex hormone, is another hormone that may also be improved through the help of certain foods.
She claims, “You cannot get estrogen from your diet but there are some that can give you what is called phytoestrogen. So they act like very weak estrogen.”
Among her recommendations for a rich source of phytoestrogen includes soy and flax seeds.
3. Cortisol
Lastly, Prof. Callanta sheds light on how food and cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, is related.
She states, “I-re-release 'yan ng adrenaline glands mo para pwede kayong mag-either fight or flight. Pero kapag mataas ang levels of cortisol sa inyong katawan, mataas din ang stress level.
“It is caffeine and alcohol that you have to watch out for. Ang caffeine at ang alcohol have been shown to raise levels of cortisol. Hindi naman madami, hindi naman ganoon kataas pero if you have trouble with it, ayun nga eh, you have to listen to your body.”
According to Pof. Callanta, what is more important is to focus on our general health instead of paying more attention on how to manage our hormones.
She advises, “Listen to your body. If there's a certain food that makes you feel bloated, probably you have to cut that out. Or if there's a certain food that after a while it causes an increase in your desire to eat more, then that's probably the culprit.
Further, she stresses the three basic rules of nutrition being balance, variety and moderation.
She concludes, saying, “At any stage, whether you are a child, an adult, a senior citizen, eating a well-balanced diet is very important.”
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