Effect Of Happy Hormones On Weight Loss: The Link & Insights

The cause of our happy, chirpy or ecstatic sentiments is brought on by incredibly complex chemical reactions that occur within our bodies through happy hormones. Did you know they have a part to play in weight management? Read on to learn how.

Despite our best efforts, not all days are jolly and bright. However, happy hormones can make it all better. The ultimate goal is happiness, and it travels specifically through the stomach. Food serves more than just a simple sensory need. Additionally, there is a neurological function which is why hormones play an essential role in the body's mechanism.

It is a beautiful experience that can overwhelm your body and mind, making you smile, laugh or even cry. Body typology, i.e. (endomorphic, mesomorphic & ectomorphic) can create a particular feeling and set of behaviours. Our perception of our bodies can affect these characteristics. It is important to remember that culture has an impact on the imagination. A positive link exists between happiness and physical attractiveness, according to several studies that have looked into it.

Table Of Contents

1. What Are Happy Hormones?

2. Role Of Hormones In Weight Loss

3. Yes, Hormones Can Contribute To Weight Gain

4. Foods For Weight And Hormone Level Management

5. How To Balance Hormones And Weight Loss?

6. Dietitian’s Recommendation

7. The Final Say

FAQs

What Are Happy Hormones?

Hormones are messengers for our bodies' internal communication, regulating everything from physical health to mental stability. Our behaviour, our attitudes, and even the things we eat have a significant impact on them. These “happy hormones” are as follows:

1. Dopamine

The "feel-good" hormone is a neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in the brain's reward system. So along with learning, memory, and other things, it is connected to pleasant feelings.

2. Serotonin

This hormone and neurotransmitter support the regulation of your mood, sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory.

3. Oxytocin

The "love hormone" is essential for pregnancy, lactation, and healthy parent-child relationships. Additionally, it can encourage connection, empathy, and trust in partnerships. Physical affection often results in a rise in levels.

4. Endorphins

Your body creates these hormones as a natural painkiller in reaction to stress or discomfort. Levels might also rise due to rewarding behaviours like eating, exercising, having sex, and controlling hunger and digestion.

5. Melatonin

Its levels have been linked to happiness in studies. In addition, melatonin plays a role in depression, and some antidepressants increase melatonin levels in the blood.

6. Norepinephrine

This is another neurotransmitter that is associated with the level of happiness. It also induces satiety and prevents a decline in metabolic rate. 

Role Of Hormones In Weight Loss

Apart from happy hormones, other hormones also play an essential role in weight management

1. Leptin hormone

It is secreted from fat cells & transfer to the bloodstream. In obese people, the percentage is high, which is why they do not feel full during and after a meal. The reason how it is that leptin messages do not reach obese people's brains is still being investigated.

2. Insulin

Insulin, produced by the pancreas, controls how much blood sugar is absorbed into tissues like muscles, liver, and fat. When insulin signals are lost in an obese person, tissues lose their ability to regulate glucose levels. Metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes may result from this.

3. Growth Hormone 

The pituitary gland secretes this hormone. Growth hormone levels have been lower in obese individuals than in individuals of average weight. It is responsible for a person's height and helps build bone and muscle.

4. Sex Hormone

The changes with age in the sex hormone levels of both men and women are associated with changes in body fat distribution. In females, hormones like oestrogen and progesterone play an essential role in the menstrual cycle.

Yes, Hormones Can Contribute To Weight Gain

• According to the World Health Organisation 11% of women and 15% of men are obese (BMI over 30 kg/m2).
• According to experts, a dopamine diet, essentially a diet rich in dopamine-producing hormones, will not only help you lose weight but also aid in keeping a good mood.
• According to a recent study, researchers have identified serotonin as a significant hormone  higher in obese people leading to obesity and diabetes by impairing the body's capacity to burn calories.
• Serotonin deficiencies might also make you crave more refined carbohydrates, which makes you gain weight. Serotonin in excess is not beneficial. There must be equilibrium. When it is too much, it causes obesity, fatty liver, and diabetes.

Foods For Weight And Hormone Level Management

• Whole-food diets are now linked to improved mental health as well. A nutritious diet influences protein. It strengthens the bonds that connect brain cells. Omega-3 fatty acids and zinc help this process. Depression risk decreases by up to 80%.
• The diet has a significant impact on how our hormones work. For example, when ingested in moderation, dark chocolate (one with a high cacao solids percentage) may make you happier since it contains the neuromodulator phenylethylamine.
• Research by University College London found that among 13,626 individuals, those who admitted to eating dark chocolate during two 24-hour spans were 70% less likely to express clinically significant depressive symptoms.
• Other foods that can improve mood include chilli, oily fish for its omega 3 fatty acids, coffee (in moderation), foods that contain tryptophan, such as some chicken, eggs, milk, nuts, and seeds, and coffee in moderation. Despite causing a burning sensation when applied to the skin, Capsaicin in chilli has pain-relieving properties when consumed. A glass of wine or any small amount of alcohol might cause the release of endorphins, but consuming too much can have adverse effects.
• Tyramine is a significant substance found in chocolate. Tyrosine, an amino acid precursor to dopamine production, is the source of this. Additionally, serotonin and endorphins are found in dark chocolate.

How To Balance Hormones And Weight Loss?

It is a hand-in-hand process for both hormone and weight loss. Some people can lose weight by burning more calories than they consume. The only people who can undergo this process are ideal hormonal specimens without cortisol, thyroid, insulin, oestrogen, or testosterone problems.

The Dietitian’s Recommendation

The neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin support happiness and pleasure while lowering anxiety and depression. With a few straightforward actions, you may naturally raise these feel-good chemicals. Other mood-enhancing foods include coffee(in moderation), oily fish for its omega 3 fatty acids, and tryptophan-containing foods such some poultry, milk, nuts, eggs, seeds, and chilli because it contains capsaicin. These also play a role in weight loss.

The Final Say

Researchers find a strong relationship between the local brain that manages weight and metabolism and areas that control cognition and emotions. Of course, being overweight is likely a risk factor for depression and significantly decreases the quality of life. Studies suggested that some released hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, oxytocin) have a fundamental role in happiness and mood regulation in weight loss. 

FAQs

1. What foods release happy hormones?

Dark chocolate, avocado, banana, kiwi, plums, nut, spinach, cheery tomato, and water.

2. Does exercise release happy hormones?

The body releases chemicals called endorphins when you exercise.

3. Which hormone is responsible for sadness?

Lack of sunlight and issues with specific brain chemicals prevent the hypothalamus from functioning normally in persons with SAD or seasonal depression. For example, the melatonin hormone's production is hypothesised to be impacted by the lack of light.

4. What vitamins help with serotonin levels?

• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
• Folic Acid (vitamin B9) 
• Vitamin C 
• Vitamin D
• Magnesium 
• Zinc

5. What do happy hormones do to your body?

Happiness hormones that the body can produce by itself include:

• Dopamine makes us feel good.
• Serotonin reduces depression.
• Endorphins make us happy and thus help reduce physical pain.

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