I would bet that you have seen a fair bit in the media recently about the hormone cortisol and its often negative effects on the human body. Cortisol is a hormone secreted from the adrenal gland just above your kidneys – and one of its roles is to allow the body to break down amino acids within the muscle and turn them into glucose to fuel activity. Cortisol fuels the ‘fight or flight’ response, providing the body with a quick source of energy when we need to outrun a lion or hunt for our food to avoid starvation (or their equivalents in modern society).
For this occasional need, breaking down the protein in our muscle is fine, but not if our hormones tell us that we are under stress all of the time. Our hectic lifestyles can lead to us having chronically elevated cortisol levels and this has been linked to a cascade of negative health consequences, from hormone imbalances, poor blood sugar control, rising levels of body fat, depressed sex drive, adrenal fatigue, depression, heart disease, cancer and a host of other health problems.
Cortisol is naturally secreted in t
he body on a regular daily cycle, with levels highest about 8am in the morning when we need to get up and about and declining slowly during the day towards bedtime. This natural rhythm is disrupted by external and internal stress, and for many people cortisol levels have become permanently elevated.
If we are always stressed and anxious, burning the candle at both ends, surviving on 5 hours of sleep every night, eating processed junk, living on caffeine and stimulants, and doing too much of the wrong sorts of exercise, it really is no surprise that we sabotage not only our health but also our body composition goals. That pot belly which you spend ages trying to disguise under baggy clothes or zip into your jeans is partly a reflection of the excessive amount of stress in your life.
You see the human body is clever, and in the face of on-going stress it makes far more sense to simply store fat (particularly around the easily accessible abdominal area) so we have a ready supply of fuel, rather than go to the trouble of breaking down protein every time we need extra energy. Elevated cortisol levels are therefore directly linked to abdominal fat storage, which can be impossible to lose if you don’t get the causes in check.
The control of cortisol levels is equally important if you are looking to preserve or particularly gain muscle. Elevated cortisol levels, be they due to the lifestyle issues discussed above or a poor training methodology (excessive cardiovascular or strength training or mismanaged recovery) will break down that hard earned muscle tissue faster than you can put it on.
Unless you live a life of permanent relaxation, you can be sure that reducing the amount of stress in your life will be of benefit in helping you to reach your body composition and lifestyle goals. You are not going to change everything overnight, but even small improvements can go a long way towards protecting your future health.
So what can we do to control cortisol levels?
- Get adequate sleep – 8 hours per night, and try to go to bed by 10:30pm at the latest.
- Drink plenty of water – Dehydration adds to the stress the body is under.
- Avoid processed food – digestive stress is yet another thing for the body to deal with.
- Take a probiotic supplement – to improve digestion and gut health. Just beware of the ones with loads of added sugar!
- Several prominent research studies have shown that increasing vitamin c intake can help to reduce cortisol levels. The only issue is that the cortisol reducing benefits were seen above 1000mg daily, when the recommended intake is 80mg – although this is recognised as being very low. It is best to consult with your doctor before taking any supplements, especially if you take other medication.
- Avoid too much exercise – research shows that cortisol levels start to rise after about 30-40 minutes of higher intensity exercise, so don’t do back-to-back classes or think that upping the volume or duration of your workouts is a way to success. Whereas low intensity endurance activities like walking is good for physical and mental benefits, moderate to high intensity activities like running, cycling and gym classes may well have a negative effect if taken to excess.
- Don’t use stimulants like caffeine and alcohol – again these will overly stimulate the adrenal system, affect sleep patterns (don’t drink caffeinated beverages after 2pm) and if used excessively will promote abdominal fat storage.
- Allow yourself some structured relaxation time every day and use this to meditate, do yoga, listen to calming music, potter in the garden or play with a pet.
So there we go. If you want to reduce your abdominal fat, work less, eat healthily, exercise carefully and relax more – that sounds like a perfect prescription to me!
