In Detail
Hormones influence essentially every aspect of body weight regulation. Thyroid hormones set baseline metabolic rate. Insulin governs how the body stores and releases energy. Cortisol drives fat storage centrally and impairs glucose handling. Estrogen and testosterone shape fat distribution and muscle mass. Leptin and ghrelin regulate appetite and satiety.
When any of these are out of balance — undertreated hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, chronic cortisol elevation, declining sex hormones — the body's relationship with food, exercise, and rest changes. People are often doing the right things and still not seeing results because the underlying physiology is working against them.
Evaluating hormones is not the whole answer to weight management, but it is often the missing piece for patients who have tried diet and exercise without success.