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how hormonal imbalances play a role in obesity
7 minute read
hormonal imbalances can be caused by chronic disease, but are also part of the normal aging process.
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hormones—chemical messengers that signal and coordinate functions in the body in almost every single cell—play a significant role in overall human health. when they are balanced, the body works like a well-oiled machine. however, if they become unbalanced, it can act as a domino effect that topples other bodily processes one at a time and worsens the effects of chronic disease.
the human body has over 50 of them, each with its own specific responsibilities in the system.
dr. megha poddar, an endocrinologist and speaker at this year’s your health matters summit by obesity matters on june 8, specializes in hormonal health, particularly how it pertains to the development of obesity. her work in endocrinology has given her a unique insight into how hormones affect a person at all stages of life.
“whether we’re growing up as babies, we’re going through puberty, pregnancy, menopause for women, it’s sort of critical that our hormones are balanced in order for us to live a good quality and quantity of life,” she said. “the challenge with hormones is they’re affected by so many different things that can cause hormonal imbalances.”
what causes hormones to go haywire?
it’s not just one thing that drives hormonal imbalances and their effects, but rather a myriad. some of these factors cannot be controlled, whereas others are more in tune with lifestyle and can be tweaked to serve people better.
for example, nutrition, exercise levels, and a person’s environment can all lead to changes in hormones and adverse outcomes. but others, such as genetics, biology, and aging, are not changeable.
dr. poddar notes that the imbalances caused by fixed factors are “the most common reasons why our hormones become imbalanced.”
“because there are so many different hormones and so many different organs, it’s very easy for us to go into an imbalanced state,” she said.
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she also notes that some hormonal changes are completely normal, such as the ones that take place in menopause or perimenopause, or when puberty hits in adolescence.
“our bodies need to change the way our hormones work in order for us to grow, in order for us to age appropriately, so there’s a sense of normalcy to change in hormones.”
chronic disease can also cause hormone levels to dip or rise, leading to more unwanted symptoms.
hormonal imbalances and human health
endocrine disorders, or those that are correlated with imbalanced or impaired hormone function, are common. diabetes, hyper- or hypo-thyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos), cushing syndrome, and more all rely heavily on hormone function.
while some may see hormonal imbalances as the cause for many diseases, it’s typically the other way around. for example, the cause of pcos is still unknown. still, there is a hormonal component that comes into play that can contribute to symptoms such as irregular periods, excess hair growth, acne, weight gain, and infertility.
so, when viewed through a clear lens, it isn’t common for hormonal imbalance to cause disease, but rather the disease leads to hormonal imbalances that exacerbate the situation.
“the way hormones work is they stay stable when everything is stable,” said dr. poddar.
however, according to dr. poddar, inflammation that’s often associated with chronic disease can serve as a starting point for a cascade of disastrous health consequences.
obesity and hormones
having obesity can lead to various health consequences, such as a heightened risk for diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, and digestive issues.
because it is marked by a pro-inflammatory state, in which the adipose tissue or fat cells in the body lead to inflammation, having obesity can be a direct driver of hormonal imbalances that affect several bodily systems.
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“it changes how all of our hormones work, whether it’s cortisol, whether it’s aldosterone for blood pressure, whether it’s estrogen and testosterone for pcos and periods, every single pathway for hormones is dysfunctional when you have inflammation,” she said. “it’s not just women, it’s in men as well. we see higher levels of erectile dysfunction, low testosterone levels and so on in men, which also leads to infertility when you have obesity.”
obesity can also be the result of hormonal imbalances, but it is much less common.
for example, hormonal imbalances that occur in hypothyroidism or cushing syndrome (which is marked by high cortisol) can cause changes to the body that drive rapid weight gain and make it much more challenging to take the weight off, even while doing all the right things.
it’s a common misconception that obesity is most often driven by hormonal imbalances as well, even when it’s rare for that to occur. this marks a lack of understanding of what obesity really is, according to dr. poddar.
“most of the time, obesity is a genetic, inherited biological neuroendocrine problem that needs specific treatment for the inflammation and the adipose tissue,” she said. “and i think the biggest misconception is that there’s one thing that causes that, and i just need to treat that one thing and everything else will get better,” she said.
complex conditions require complex treatment
in many cases, reintroducing a hormone into the human body isn’t going to improve a condition because they’re multifactorial in nature. and when it comes to obesity, the hormonal imbalances that occur aren’t driving the condition, so treatment must be done to address the inflammation. then, and only then, will the hormones in the body correct themselves.
weight gain is also common in menopausal women, and on average, 43 per cent of people in this stage of life will also experience obesity. in some cases, hormonal therapy can be introduced to try to offset the effects of losing estrogen, but that doesn’t mean that the weight will come off or that the obesity will simply go away.
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“people tend to not be sleeping as well, not be eating as well, not be moving as much, and then they already have a genetic predisposition to gain weight, and then their metabolism slows down, but it’s age-related as opposed to estrogen-related,” said dr. poddar.
she notes that treatment then doesn’t revolve around hormones but rather addressing every other prong in the multi-pronged disease.
“many people think if i just take the estrogen, then i won’t gain weight, and that will help me with weight loss, but that’s actually never been shown to be effective. we need to treat menopause-related weight gain the same as we would treat obesity, and it’s not going to be with hormone replacement therapy.”
understanding your hormones for a better quality of life
many people don’t understand their hormones and how they play into chronic disease, whether it’s if they’re already diagnosed or if it’s related to their risk factors for the future. unfortunately, that misunderstanding isn’t doing anyone any favours.
“the challenge with hormonal dysfunction is that the symptoms are typically quite vague, so low energy, constipation, dry skin, and you can imagine you can have all those problems with or without hormonal dysfunction,” said dr. poddar. “it’s important for people to listen to their bodies. there’s no better person who will know if something’s wrong than the individual themselves.”
to get tested for hormonal imbalances, there are avenues you can take. work with your primary care provider to get blood panels to rule certain things out.
“it’s really about support and having access to a healthcare provider that listens and is ultimately trying to help you feel better as opposed to just fixing a problem,” said dr. poddar.
as for hormonal changes in life, dr. poddar wants people to know that understanding that the body will change as a normal process of growing up and getting older and accepting that you won’t feel the same throughout your life, will help quiet concerns that there’s something wrong if any blood panels come back as negative for hormonal imbalances.
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“we have to be aware and naturally adapt to our normally changing bodies, and how we adapt doesn’t mean to slow down or do less, but just change what we’re doing because what our body needs in those moments is different from what it needed before,” she said.
“we forget that we are naturally evolving organisms and our hormones are naturally changing.”
this is especially important for people living with obesity because those life changes can throw curveballs in disease management.
“they work very hard to develop strategies so that they are managing this disease as best they can, and those coping strategies might fail or change when you’re in a period of transition,” said dr. poddar. “you can go from living with obesity and managing well, and then hitting perimenopause or menopause, all of a sudden, your strategies to sleep well, move your body and eat well may not be working because the mechanism is changed.”
“it’s that ability to adapt who we are and what we’re doing so that we are able to manage through these normal and natural transitions, living the best life we can.”
register now for free and secure your virtual spot at the your health matters summit by obesity matters on june 8.
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