When the body is in extreme calorie deficit, the arms respond more strongly to fat-burning signals than the legs—possibly because the legs make more of a protein that blocks those signals.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

31

Community contributions welcome

31

Severe energy deficit upregulates leptin receptors, leptin signaling, and PTP1B in human skeletal muscle.

Cohort Study

Human

2017 Nov 1

When people burn a lot of calories through diet and exercise, their arm muscles become more responsive to the fat-burning hormone leptin than their leg muscles — and this might be because leg muscles have more of a brake called SOCS3 that blocks leptin’s signal.

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No contradicting evidence found

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According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Severe energy deficit upregulates leptin receptors, leptin signaling, and PTP1B in human skeletal muscle.

Score: 31

DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00454.2017

Similar Assertions

Muscles with more slow-twitch fibers (used for endurance) tend to have stronger leptin signaling during extreme dieting, suggesting these fibers are better at switching to fat-burning mode.

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71%

When people burn a lot more calories than they eat for a few days, their muscles start responding more to a hormone called leptin, which helps them burn fat better—especially in the arms.

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70%