Stress, Cortisol, and Weight Gain
Hormonal Response Can Cause Weight Loss Failure
Cortisol in the body has many functions, including regulating blood sugar and blood pressure, energy provision for activity, and it has a role in the immunity and healing processes. When the body is stressed, either physically or emotionally, the body responds by secreting cortisol.
Cortisol stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy during the “Fight or Flight” response. When the stress situation is removed, the cortisol release continues to occur, stimulating appetite to replace the carbohydrate and fat burned – or thinks it burned. If the stress was emotional instead of physical, the stress response would still occur, but without expending much energy. The appetite increase then just serves as a provision for excess calories over daily needs.
Consistent states of stress without relief cause the body to produce a high level of cortisol at all times. The insulin response and appetite stimulation lead to weight gain because the body is in a constant state of fat storage. The body stores this type of extra energy around the abdominal organs. Accumulation of this type of fat, known as visceral fat, is most damaging to health, leading to an increased development of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
Stress Reduction
In addition to raising cortisol levels, stress also causes many of us to overeat. A fast-paced lifestyle, for example, can lead to fast food, vending machine snacking, and high-calorie convenience foods. Stress reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, breathing exercises and behavioral therapy are all paths to explore to correct issues that are leading to weight gain. There is also much benefit to simplifying life through personal organization and time management.
Support
Lack of emotional support is linked to a tendency toward emotional or stress-induced eating. A ring of support, whether it is family, friends, or a support group, is crucial to managing both stress and weight.
Adequate Sleep
There is also a connection between lack of sleep and weight gain. Cortisol is released on a sleep-wake pattern, also called diurnal rhythm, and lowest levels are typically noted at night while the body is at rest. If sleep is disrupted, so is the normal release of cortisol. If stress is causing insomnia, seek treatment to gain the appropriate amount of rest each night.
Diet
Weight gain (or loss) depends on many factors, including what you eat and how much you burn off through metabolism and exercise. A study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology in 2001 found that women who had high cortisol levels tended to eat more sweet and sugary foods leading to excess caloric intake. In addition to eating too many calories, sugar also contributes to the development of high insulin levels.
Strict diets are not recommended – studies show that women who consistently restrict food have higher levels of cortisol. A better method for controlling intake is to make healthier choices (ie: low sugar, low fat, high fiber, increased fruits and vegetables) and to eat small, frequent meals to stave off hunger.
Exercise
Exercise has been shown as one of the best methods for lowering cortisol levels that have risen in response to stress. Exercise also reduces stress and alleviates depression symptoms. It also is beneficial to weight loss by the obvious method of burning excess calories and reducing circulating blood insulin levels.
Supplements
Although cortisol as a body hormone is well-researched, nutritional supplements that claim to lower cortisol and subsequently lose weight have not proven to be effective. Weight gain and loss is much more complicated than singling out a particular hormone response for treatment. A holistic plan for diet, exercise and stress reduction is much more effective for long-term weight management.
For more information about Cortisol and abdominal fat:
Weight Management Has Many Factors
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