VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: Karolina Karabin, MD, PhD, molecular biologist, laboratory diagnostician, nutrition and lifestyle consultant
Can't lose weight? Sometimes, despite many attempts to lose weight, they may fail or not be as expected. It turns out that our hormones may be responsible for this. Check what laboratory tests to do when you can't lose weight.
Losing unnecessary kilograms is not always easy, and the main role is played by our determination and strong will in following the recommendations related to diet and physical activity. However, in some situations, our hormones, which control, among others, how our body uses energy from food or whether we are hungry.
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood glucose levels as well. In addition, insulin allows glucose to enter directly into cells, which use it as an energy source.
Sometimes there are situations where our cells are no longer sensitive to insulin and we call this insulin resistance. This phenomenon may be one of the causes of problems with losing weight. Symptoms such as:
may indicate insulin resistance- sleepiness after a meal,
- chronic fatigue
- or hunger pangs.
However, it is best to assess it by carrying out appropriate laboratory tests.
To check if we are insulin resistant, we need to test both blood glucose and insulin levels. Then, on this basis, the insulin resistance index is calculated, e.g. the HOMA index (HOMA-IR, Homeostatic model assessment).
Thyroid hormones
The thyroid gland is a very important organ regulating our metabolic rate. It regulates the metabolism of proteins, fats and glucose.
Therefore, if we have problems with losing weight or suddenly we have gained a few kilos for no apparent reason, it is worth checking the functioning of this organ. The cause may be hypothyroidism and a deficiency of thyroid hormones, which results in a slower metabolism, and the accumulation of fat and water.
For this purpose, we should perform a pituitary hormone testthyrotropin (TSH), which controls the thyroid gland, and free triiodothyronine (fT3) and free thyroxine (fT4), both produced by the thyroid gland itself. High TSH levels and low fT3 and fT4 levels indicate hypothyroidism.
Sex hormones - estrogens, progesterone
Estrogens - estradiol, estrone and estriol play an important role in controlling our weight. During puberty in women, oestrogens contribute to the physiological increase in adipose tissue, especially around the hips and buttocks.
Often in women during the menopause, when estrogen levels drop, there is a redistribution of fat around the abdomen (so-called visceral adipose tissue). This type of tissue is particularly undesirable, because in addition to the fact that it is difficult to "get rid of", it can also cause various pathologies, including insulin resistance.
The second important hormone from the point of our weight is progesterone, which works closely with estrogens. Therefore, both parameters should be included in the list of laboratory tests of women who cannot lose weight.
Sex hormones - testosterone
In men, problems with losing weight may be caused by too low testosterone levels. Why? Because in men, it causes abdominal fat to accumulate, which adversely affects the insulin response and accompanies the metabolic syndrome.
Although we associate testosterone primarily with male sex hormones, it is produced in a smaller amount in the female body. In women, unlike in men, excess testosterone can cause insulin resistance and cause problems with losing weight.
Such a situation is observed in, for example, women with polycystic ovary syndrome, whose level of this hormone is definitely too high.
Cortisol
Chronic stress is an important factor that can cause overweight and obesity. Stress increases the appetite for food, causes fluctuations in blood glucose, and can also cause insulin resistance.
The excess of the "stress hormone" or cortisol is responsible for all these negative effects of stress. Unfortunately, this hormone is not our ally in slimming, because its high level hinders the breakdown of adipose tissue, i.e. lipolysis.
It is also worth adding that the excess of cortisol is not always associated with chronic stress and may indicate a serious disease such as Cushing's syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by, inter alia, sudden weight gain and obesity, where fatty tissue builds up around the neck, body and face (called cushingoid obesity). In thisIn case of emergency, an endocrinologist should be consulted.
In addition to the above-mentioned tests, it is also worth doing:
- blood count, which will assess your overall he alth,
- inflammation markers: CRP protein, ESR,
- electrolytes in the blood: sodium, potassium, magnesium, chlorides,
- liver tests: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase, (AST), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGTP).
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