Cortisol

Cortisol. Everyone remembers this Relacore TV infomercial from the early 2000s, promising the answer to all your stress-induced weight loss woes. Products like Relacore promise unmatched stress-induced belly fat reduction! For just three easy payments.

Now, you probably wouldn’t be reading this article if Relacore had been the solution it promised to be. While Relacore has some ingredients like magnesium, ginseng, and magnolia bark, which can help with relaxation, it’s essentially just a vitamin supplement that isn’t supported by any actual scientific evidence, unfortunately. 

Is Relacore even still around? 

What is Cortisol, and Does it Impact Weight?

Cortisol, a hormone the adrenal glands produce, is crucial to your body’s stress response system. Its roles include regulating metabolism, reducing inflammation, and assisting memory function.

Cortisol is a stress hormone released into the bloodstream in response to stress. Most women are familiar with the term fight or flight as a response to stress, and this is the role cortisol plays. 

Risks of Elevated Cortisol for Women Over 40:

• Increased stress response
• Increased weight gain
• Decrease in bone density
• Decrease in collagen production
• Increase in sleep disruption
• Menopause and hormone imbalance
• Decrease in immune function 

Cortisol, Stress, and Misinformation

Before we go down the cortisol rabbit hole, let me clear up a bit of misinformation. Cortisol is not bad for women. In fact, you need cortisol, even in middle age.

It’s a biological response to ensure the body is primed with quick-acting energy (in the form of sugar in the bloodstream) to ensure survival in what the brain deems a stressful situation. Essentially, the body dumps sugar into the bloodstream, which gives the body instant energy to fight or flee a dangerous situation. 

When you face stress, either from things like illness or anxiety, your brain sends a message to your adrenal glands to release the hormone cortisol. Cortisol then boosts your body by raising your blood sugar, making you more alert, helping to reduce inflammation, and preparing you to handle stress.

Cortisol levels vary but are generally higher in the morning and fall throughout the day. Cortisol tends to have an inverse relationship with melatonin levels, so when cortisol is high, melatonin decreases in response. This makes sense because if you are running away from a mountain lion, it’s not the best time to take a nap. 

Cortisol release is linked to your daily routine. When faced with stress, cortisol helps you react effectively. However, it’s important to note that your cortisol levels should never be zero.

Understanding the Difference Between Acute and Chronic Stress

Although exercise is a form of stress, short bursts of stress (acute), like exercise, benefit our health. They make us more resilient to stress, similar to how training makes us stronger and fitter. By placing some stress on our bodies, we adapt to handle future stress more quickly and efficiently, which is crucial for overall health improvement.

On the other hand, we encounter problems when stress becomes chronic due to factors like poor sleep, demanding jobs, family responsibilities, chronic dieting, low energy availability, and overtraining without proper recovery. This persistent stress causes cortisol levels to become imbalanced, which is linked to various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Insulin Resistance, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.

This shift becomes more apparent as women age, as hormones like progesterone and estrogen decline. Our body’s ability to manage stress declines as these hormones decline. 

To further complicate matters, middle-age is when many women slow down or stop exercising and doing the things that keep their bodies in a better state to combat these changes.

As middle-aged women, our bodies become less efficient at managing stress. As a result, our cortisol levels can stay slightly elevated, causing subtle issues that can compound over time, including systematic inflammation.

How Do I Know If I Have High Cortisol?

1. Increased Stress Response: Life stresses, including career demands, family responsibilities, and potential health concerns, may increase cortisol production. Higher cortisol levels can contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression.
2. Decreased Appetite: When stress and cortisol levels are high, some women respond with reduced appetite. Medical professionals suggest one reason may be the release of sugar into the bloodstream, which, for some women, minimizes hunger.
3. Increased Cravings: Elevated cortisol levels can increase appetite and cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods, making weight management more difficult, particularly around the abdomen, and can cause weight gain in many women.
4. Increased Digestive Issues: Acute stress can release acid into the stomach, resulting in problems such as acid reflux, heartburn, etc. When stress continues to chronic levels, stomach acids eventually decrease, and antacids can quit working. Digestive issues can also cause “nervous poops” or diarrhea. 
5. Bone Density: Chronic high cortisol levels can negatively impact bone density. Women over 40 are already at a higher risk for osteoporosis, and elevated cortisol can exacerbate this issue.
6. Increased Heart Palpitations: Higher cortisol levels can cause a racing heart. Chemicals such as epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine are released as your body constantly waits for the gun to begin the race. 
7. Skin Health: Cortisol can break down collagen in the skin, leading to increased signs of aging, such as wrinkles and diminished skin elasticity.
8. Wired but Tired: Cortisol can elevate energy, and many women report the ability to get stuff done, but they are also exhausted and unable to focus. 
9. Sleep Disruption: High cortisol levels can interfere with sleep patterns, making it harder to get restful sleep. This can compound the effects of stress and negatively impact overall health. Many women will wake up in the middle of the night, feel anxious, have racing thoughts, or have a difficult time winding down to go to sleep.
10. Menopause and Hormonal Balance: Women approaching menopause may experience fluctuations in hormone levels, which can be further complicated by elevated cortisol. This can affect mood, energy levels, and overall hormonal balance. For perimenopausal women, higher levels of cortisol can further impact sex hormones like progesterone and estrogen, causing wonky periods resulting in very light or very heavy periods. 
11. Immune Function: Chronic stress and consistently high cortisol levels can weaken the immune system, making the body more vulnerable to infections and illnesses.
12. Decreased Executive Function: Chronic stress and consistently high cortisol levels can impact memory and executive functioning, resulting in difficulty focusing or increased brain fog.

Testing Your Cortisol Levels

Several methods can be used to test for high cortisol levels. Some tests can only be reliably conducted by a healthcare provider, and some can be done through an over-the-counter test purchased from your local pharmacy:

• Blood Test
• Saliva Test
• Urine Test
• Dexamethasone Suppression Test (tests for Cushing’s Syndrome)

Your healthcare or test provider will supply normal ranges based on the standards.

Managing Cortisol Levels

To mitigate the adverse effects of cortisol, women over 40 can adopt various strategies:

• Stress Management Techniques: Yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and deep-breathing exercises can help lower cortisol levels.
• Regular Exercise: Moderate physical activity can help regulate cortisol, improve mood, and support overall health.
• Healthy Diet: A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can help manage stress and maintain stable blood sugar levels.
• Adequate Sleep: Prioritizing good sleep hygiene can help normalize cortisol levels.
• Social Support: Strong relationships and social support networks can be instrumental in managing stress and its physiological effects.

Conclusion:

Understanding cortisol and its role in our bodies is crucial, especially for women over 40. While supplements like Relacore may promise quick fixes, the reality is that managing cortisol effectively involves a holistic approach. Women can better manage their cortisol levels by adopting stress management techniques, maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, ensuring adequate sleep, and fostering strong social connections. This helps combat the adverse effects of chronic stress and improves overall health, making life more enjoyable and less stressful in the long run. Remember, there is no magic pill—true wellness comes from a balanced and mindful approach to life.