High Levels of Stress Can Lead to Imbalances

---

While poor diet and lack of exercise are commonly blamed for weight gain, hormonal imbalances can also be a culprit. To tackle hormonal weight gain, it's important for you to understand how to balance your hormone production and release.

Hormones play a major role in hunger signals and energy usage. For both women and men, high levels of stress and increased cortisol can lead to hormonal weight gain. However, hormonal changes alone are not always the sole cause.

Even small amounts of hormones can have significant effects. Protein hormones quickly react with cell surface receptors, triggering events. Steroid hormones, on the other hand, react with receptors inside the cell, leading to a slower response. There are organs like the stomach, intestines, and heart that produce hormones, but their main function is not hormone secretion. Your ovaries or testes play multiple roles, like hormone production and the production of eggs or sperm.

Hormone Test Measure Important Factors

A hormone test can measures factors related to weight loss and control. It can help identify imbalances in thyroid, reproductive, and stress hormones, thus impacting weight control. Discussed below are common culprits, such as:

Testosterone: Nutritional choices also play a key role, and together with hormones, they can affect the risk of developing chronic medical conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

Progesterone: Testosterone is often referred to as the male hormone, and progesterone is often referred to as the female hormone. Nonetheless, each play important roles in both men and women.

Estrogen: Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is key. Estrogen levels can affect how the body utilizes starches and blood glucose during energy consumption. Imbalances can accelerate fat storage leading to long-term weight loss challenges.

Insulin: Insulin allows organs, the liver, and fat to absorb glucose. But, it is important to remember that different hormones can influence each other. The release of cortisol (stress hormone) triggers the release of insulin (fat-storage hormone), highlighting the importance of maintaining good hormonal balance.

Cortisol: In addition to better stress management, you can regulate cortisol hormone through dietary changes and supplements. Including plenty of protein, healthy fats, and vitamins B, C, and D in your diet can help reduce cortisol and promote overall health and wellness.

Thyroid Hormone: Thyroid imbalance can wreak havoc on weight control and leave you feeling fatigued. It can be frustrating, but there are steps you can take to regain control of your body and support your thyroid health. Medication, a better diet, exercising more, and other healthy lifestyle changes like stopping smoking can help.

Your choice of nutrients plays a role in hormone regulation and healthy weight control. Ensuring an adequate intake of fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants will support hormone production and release.

In addition, limiting processed foods, added sugars, and unhealthy fats is smart choice for restoring hormone balance.

If you're experiencing vague symptoms, it could be a sign that your hormones are out of whack. Certain imbalances can have a big impact on your overall well-being and goals for healthy living. At MRC, we understand the importance of balanced hormones and work closely with you to identify and correct deficiencies.