Cortisol & Stress Fat
Cortisol is hormone produced by the adrenal glands. This hormone falls in a category of the hormones known as glucocorticoids which refers to the ability to increase the blood glucose levels. Cortisol is primary glucocorticoid.
Cortisol is stress hormone. The production cortisol in our body is in response to stress, mental, emotional or physical. This may include low calorie diets, high volume training, intense training, lack of good sleep or daily stresses like as job pressures, caught in traffic jam, fight with your spouse etc. surgery, injury and Trauma are major stressors for the body.
If a person is facing a life or death like situation then cortisol will increases flow of glucose out of the tissues and then into bloodstream, to increase the energy and physical activeness to handle such stressful situation.
A person can get his/her cortisol levels tested if that person wants to. This can be done by the blood test. There are other alternatives also available.
Cortisol levels are much higher in the adults than that in children and its levels fluctuate at a clock of 24 hour. Its level is higher in the morning and may elevate after exercise. It is lowest around midnight. The cortisol level should be 6-23 mcg/dl in the blood stream in the morning.
High cortisol levels are linked to the deposition of body fats in the abdominal body part. This is particularly with visceral fat which are deposited deep into abdominal cavity and also around internal organs. This fat is very unhealthy as it poses high risk for diabetes and heart disease.
Cortisol is not the primary thing that makes a person fat; it is just one of the contributing factors that make a person fat. It is just a small thing that causes the storage of abdominal fats. A person becomes fat if that person takes lot of food with excess of cartisol in that person and not doing enough exercise.
If a person now feel that stress makes a person fat then it’s wrong. In fact many people lose weight when they are under stress, but in some cases where a person under stress tends to eat more may become fat.
With this entire data one cannot say that cartisol is bad for a person as it is just a hormone which is necessary for the natural working of our body. If this hormone is in excess or less then it can cause serious health problem. A person should concentrate on maintaining proper level of cartisol and not suppress it. Excess level of cartisol may result in loss of muscular tissue. It can also decrease insulin sensitivity and even reduce kidney function. It can affect our immune system too.
The best method to keep cartisol level in a normal range is by reducing the stress, once can also take deep breath and should try to take a proper sleep as they both also helps in reducing the stress level and gives our body the time to recover.
