Get tested with Superpower

If you’ve been postponing blood testing for years or feel frustrated by doctor appointments and limited lab panels, you are not alone. Standard healthcare is often reactive, focusing on testing only after symptoms appear or leaving patients in the dark.

Superpower flips that approach. We give you full insight into your body with over 100 biomarkers, personalized action plans, long-term tracking, and answers to your questions, so you can stay ahead of any health issues.

With physician-reviewed results, CLIA-certified labs, and the option for at-home blood draws, Superpower is designed for people who want clarity, convenience, and real accountability - all in one place.

Key benefits of Leptin testing

• Reveals whether your appetite and metabolism signals are working properly.
• Spots leptin resistance, a hidden driver of weight gain and stubborn obesity.
• Flags metabolic dysfunction that raises risk for diabetes and heart disease.
• Explains persistent hunger or difficulty losing weight despite healthy habits.
• Guides personalized nutrition and lifestyle strategies to restore metabolic balance.
• Tracks response to weight loss interventions over time.
• Best interpreted with insulin, glucose, and inflammatory markers for full metabolic picture.

What is Leptin?

Leptin is a hormone produced primarily by fat cells (adipocytes) in your body's adipose tissue. The more fat tissue you have, the more leptin your fat cells typically release into your bloodstream. It was discovered in 1994 and named after the Greek word "leptos," meaning thin.

Your body's fuel gauge hormone

Leptin travels to your brain, specifically to the hypothalamus, where it signals how much energy is stored in your fat reserves. When leptin levels are adequate, your brain receives the message that you have enough energy on board. This triggers feelings of satiety and helps regulate your appetite and metabolism.

The satiety signal that can malfunction

Leptin acts as a long-term regulator of energy balance, influencing not just hunger but also how your body burns calories. In some people, the brain becomes less responsive to leptin's signal despite high levels in the blood, a condition called leptin resistance. This can disrupt normal appetite control and metabolic function.

Why is Leptin important?

Leptin is a hormone produced by fat cells that signals your brain about your body's energy reserves, regulating hunger, metabolism, and reproductive function. It acts as a fuel gauge for the entire body, influencing not just appetite but also immune response, bone health, and hormonal balance. When leptin communication works well, your brain accurately reads energy status and adjusts calorie intake and expenditure accordingly.

When fat cells whisper too quietly

Low leptin levels typically occur with very low body fat and signal starvation to the brain. This triggers intense hunger, slows metabolism to conserve energy, and can halt reproductive hormones in women, leading to irregular or absent periods. Athletes with extremely low body fat and individuals with lipodystrophy may experience fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and increased susceptibility to infections.

When the signal gets lost in translation

High leptin levels usually reflect excess body fat, but paradoxically, the brain stops responding effectively - a condition called leptin resistance. Despite abundant leptin, the brain perceives starvation, driving continued hunger and fat storage. This creates a metabolic trap linked to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and cardiovascular risk. Women typically have higher leptin than men at the same body fat percentage due to estrogen's influence.

The metabolic messenger's broader reach

Leptin connects energy balance to nearly every physiological system, from thyroid function and stress response to wound healing and blood pressure regulation. Disrupted leptin signaling contributes to metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and reproductive disorders, making it a critical marker of long-term metabolic health.

What do my Leptin results mean?

Low leptin usually reflects low body fat or energy deficit

Low values usually reflect reduced fat tissue mass or states of energy insufficiency. Leptin is produced primarily by fat cells and signals the brain about energy reserves. When levels are low, the body interprets this as starvation, which can suppress reproductive hormones, slow metabolism, reduce thyroid activity, and increase hunger. Very low leptin is common in athletes with low body fat, people with eating disorders, or during prolonged caloric restriction. Women typically have higher leptin than men at the same body fat percentage due to hormonal differences.

Optimal leptin suggests balanced energy signaling

Being in range suggests appropriate communication between fat tissue and the brain's energy regulation centers. Optimal levels support normal metabolic rate, reproductive function, and appetite control. There is no single ideal value, as leptin correlates strongly with body fat percentage and varies widely by sex and body composition.

High leptin usually reflects leptin resistance or excess fat mass

High values usually reflect increased fat tissue or leptin resistance, a state where the brain no longer responds normally to leptin's signals despite elevated levels. This resistance is common in obesity and metabolic syndrome, and paradoxically leads to continued hunger and fat storage despite high circulating leptin. Chronic inflammation and insulin resistance often accompany leptin resistance.

Factors that influence leptin levels

Leptin fluctuates with meals, sleep, stress, and menstrual cycle phase. Levels are typically higher in women and rise during pregnancy.