Winter Weight Gain

If you stick to the same eating patterns and don't often indulge in creamy comfort foods, the hormone leptin may be to blame for winter weight gain.

Leptin, which was only discovered in 1994, assists in regulating both appetite and metabolism. According to research, some people may not process leptin as efficiently during winter, causing them to gain weight.

Zinc has been shown in studies to raise leptin levels. In fact, a study published in the journal Life Science showed that zinc was able to increase leptin production by a whopping 142 percent. So, try a little zinc and say ta-ta to those last 10 pounds.