Leptin and Maintaining Weight Gain

In today's society,obesity is the single most important risk factor for early disability and death,and the incidence of obesity is still at an alarming level.The central nervous system regulates energy intake and consumption in response to changes in the body's energy storage,thereby maintaining the body's continued obesity;fat cell-derived hormone leptin and its receptor(LEPR)are the key regulators of these systems.As in the case of insulin resistance,various mechanisms have been proposed(including feedback inhibition,inflammation,glial hyperplasia,and endoplasmic reticulum stress)to interfere with the action of leptin,hindering the system that controls the body's energy balance to promote or maintain obesity,although these are not clear.However,in ordinary obese patients,the LEPR signal may be increased(rather than impaired),indicating that any obesity-related defects in leptin action must be caused by lesions other than the original LEPR signal.