When the body is functioning properly, excess fat cells will produce leptin, which will trigger the hypothalamus to lower the appetite, allowing the body to dip into the fat stores to feed itself. Unfortunately, when someone is obese, that individual will have too much leptin in the blood.

What causes the release of leptin?

Leptin is produced by your body's fat cells. The more body fat they carry, the more leptin they produce ( 7 ). Leptin is carried by the bloodstream into your brain, where it sends a signal to the hypothalamus — the part that controls when and how much you eat ( 8 ).

Where is leptin secreted from?

The biology of Leptin

Leptin is secreted mainly by white adipose tissue, and levels are positively correlated with the amount of body fat (3). Like many other hormones, leptin is secreted in a pulsatile fashion and has a significant diurnal variation with higher levels in the evening and early morning hours (4, 5).