Stress, Metabolism and Cortisol, the stress hormone

Stress, Metabolism and Cortisol, the stress hormone

Even if you follow a sound nutritional program, even if you exercise regularly to increase your metabolism, your efforts to lose weight and bring your health back on track can be severely undermined.
What we hardly acknowledge is the fact that the stress of modern life (and perhaps because of all the magazines and headlines advertising "thin is beautiful" and blaming you for being not so thin at all), that this stress permanently increases your adrenalin level which in return continuously triggers the release of a hormone called Cortisol.

Even though Cortisol is an essential hormone in normal amounts, a long term excess of it can trouble your metabolism and encourage the production of fat, especially belly fat. Abdominal fat is particularly unhealthy because it s pro-inflammatory and associated with the metabolic syndrome, including the activation of fat storage hormones and enzymes - conversion of protein in the body into unwanted sugar and fat, cause a halt in the secretion of fat burning human growth hormone (HGH), accumulate dangerous abdominal fat, increase appetite and cravings for sweet and fatty foods and cause progressive insulin resistance which can lead to type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and other health risk associated with obesity.
Belly fat can also stimulate the progression of atherosclerosis as well as growth of tumors and fibroid tissue.

The whole science of stress as it relates to weight gain and weight control takes it out of your hands somewhat.
It's not just calories added versus calories burnt, there is the stress factor to contend with. Weight management has to extend to stress management to be successful in the long run.

Rudy Tiefnig is a Herbalist and Academic Member of the American Botanical Council.
His major interest are the applications of adaptogenic herbs for health, fitness, weight loss and metabolism.