Discover how your diet affects hormones like insulin, cortisol and serotonin—and why balanced nutrition fuels clarity, mood ...

Frederich, R.C. et al. Leptin levels reflect body lipid content in mice: evidence for diet-induced resistance to leptin action. Nat. Med. 1, 1311–1314 (1995).

Medically reviewed by Kelly Wood, MD Hormones play a major role in energy usage and storage, metabolism, growth, and fat distribution. When hormone levels shift, unexpected weight gain may occur.

Have you heard people say that when you lose weight, your stomach decreases in size? As it turns out, the process is a bit more complicated than that.