Can’t Lose Weight Due to High Cortisol?

---

Chronic levels of stress triggers the body to release a steroid hormone called cortisol. As a key “fight or flight” mechanism, cortisol’s initial response was to provide an immediate burst of energy to support survival in ancient times. However, this hormone also increase appetite and most often leads to intense cravings for high-calorie, sweet, fatty, and salty comfort foods. When consumed, these foods are converted to triglycerides and often stored as visceral fat.

Unfortunately, visceral fat is linked to serious health complications, including cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. This cycle demonstrates how chronic stress can disrupt your body's natural ability to burn energy efficiently, making long-term weight control a significant challenge. Moreover, excess cortisol can lead to additional stressors, which can lead to more cortisol production and release. In addition, cortisol favors deep fat storage around abdominal organs.

Rather than letting daily stressors control your wellbeing, consider incorporating stress-reduction techniques into your daily routine to naturally lower cortisol hormone levels. Combined with a balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods and regular physical activity, these efforts will support healthy metabolism and keep visceral fat accumulation in check for long-term weight control. Routinely engaging in relaxation can help restore your body’s normal fat-burning capabilities.

What are the health risks of excess visceral fat?

Cortisol mobilizes energy by releasing glucose from the liver, but when levels remain consistently high, your body shifts into "survival mode" and favors fat storage over fat burning. Here's where the problem becomes particularly troublesome: visceral fat cells contain high concentrations of enzymes that convert inactive cortisone into active cortisol. This creates a vicious cycle where existing visceral fat actually produces more cortisol, leading to even more fat storage around your organs.

Visceral vs Subcutaneous Fat: The difference in danger of health risks between visceral fat and subcutaneous fat stems primarily from metabolic activity as well as the substances released. Excess visceral fat is more metabolically active and can release free fatty acids and other fat metabolites directly into the liver’s portal system. This can impair hepatic function, lead to fatty liver disease, and cause poor regulation of glucose and insulin metabolism.

The more visceral fat you have, the more cortisol your body produces locally, perpetuating this harmful cycle. But, this cycle doesn’t just affect your waistline. Excessive deposits of visceral fat can disrupt glucose regulation and lead to insulin resistance, abnormal cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Additionally, cortisol can slow your metabolism while reducing muscle mass, making it harder to burn fat effectively while releasing inflammatory substances directly into the bloodstream.

Stress Impacts Visceral Fat Storage

Cortisol is a vital steroid hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It plays a crucial role in regulating essential functions like metabolism, immune response, and blood pressure. When you experience mental, emotional, or physical stress, your cortisol levels naturally rise as part of your body's "fight or flight" response. This system was designed to help our ancestors survive immediate dangers, like fending off predators or facing food shortages. So, this connection is about more than your appearance, as it is can impact your metabolic health.

• Increased Food Cravings – When you are chronically stressed, cortisol levels still fuel a desire for less healthy “comfort foods” that can deliver a burst of energy to improve your ancestor’s chance of survival.
• Cortisol Production in Tissues – When cortisol remains elevated due to chronic stress, it flips the switch in the wrong direction and reverses normal fat-burning to store excess energy in existing fat cells.
• Excess Glucose Due to Insulin Resistance – Chronic stress leads to high cortisol levels that left unchecked can lead to significant metabolic dysfunction like insulin resistance at the cell level.
• Sleep and Hormonal Imbalances – Cortisol imbalances make it hard to go to sleep, hard to stay asleep, and hungry. Yes, it throws off leptin hormone and signal hunger for high-calorie comfort foods.
• Visceral Fat Accumulation – Visceral fat accumulation surrounding your internal organs can have a problematic relationship with cortisol produced due to the build-up of unmanaged chronic stress.

In the modern world, many of us experience chronic stress, which keeps our cortisol levels consistently too high. When this happens, the body's natural metabolism is disrupted. Instead of burning fat for energy, your body starts to store it, particularly as visceral fat within your abdominal cavity. Moreover, unlike the ‘pinch an inch’ subcutaneous fat, visceral deposits are hidden deeper with the abdominal cavity surrounding important internal organs. Creating a personalized plan that addresses the root causes of your cortisol surges is key.

Women and Men Use Cortisol Differently

The way men and women metabolize cortisol varies significantly due to hormonal influences. Men typically exhibit a stronger and more immediate cortisol response to psychological stress. In contrast, women's stress response is often influenced by hormonal fluctuations related to the menstrual cycle and menopause. Moreover, women have a unique advantage as their bodies release more oxytocin which promotes building stronger social connections, whereas men tend to gravitate toward physical activities to reduce stress-related cortisol surges.

While stress-cortisol patterns represent general trends, individual responses to stress can vary significantly regardless of sex. For example, obesity itself adds another layer of complexity to weight control, as it can alter how cortisol and other hormones are processed in the body. In obese individuals, cortisol clearance may be more easily altered potentially leading to heightened cortisol activity in key tissues like adipose and the liver. Visceral deposits can then create  more stress that leads to more unhealthy eating and further weight gain.

A key is recognizing that while cortisol's impact on weight gain is universal, the most effective strategies for managing stress-related weight gain are highly personal. Women may benefit more from stress management approaches that emphasize social support and relationship building, while men might find physical exercise or solitary activities more helpful for managing stress-related weight gain. So, having a better understanding of hormonal differences is important for developing personalized approaches for weight control.

______________________

If you are looking for a weight management plan personalized for your body, your lifestyle and your goals, MRC Fort Wayne is here to help. Metabolic Research Center has been helping people just like you to restore metabolic efficiency for decades. Take our 2-minute quiz to “Find Your Fit” and discover how our whole body wellness approach can put you on the right track. After all, we don’t believe in fad dieting and you’ll receive an instant download for our FREE Kickstart Guide that includes meal planning, recipes and much more.