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Its concentration throughout the day is not constant and depends on the time of day, and its nature helps to tap into energy reserves, supporting the body especially in stressful situations. Cortisol, as it is referred to, is the so-called stress hormone, which reaches its highest level in the morning, which drops as the hours pass, and especially late in the evening reaches its lowest level.
What do its fluctuations depend on, what function does it perform in the body and how does its level affect metabolism, weight loss and physical activity?
What is cortisol?
Cortisol is a hormone is naturally produced in the body (thanks to the striatal layer of the adrenal cortex).
This stress hormone is responsible for regulating blood glucose levels.
And why is cortisol actually called a stress hormone?
Because when physical and mental stress is induced, cortisol increases blood glucose levels, which helps increase the body’s energy required to cope with a given stressful situation, or with increased physical activity.
In addition, cortisol influences the breakdown of fatty acids and accelerates gluconeogenesis, and helps boost adrenaline and norepinephrine.
During exercise, or during a sudden stressful situation when we need an increased amount of energy, a sudden increase in cortisol levels may be desirable, but its constant, sustained high may not be good for health.
Why?
Too much cortisol – effects
Excess cortisol that persists over a long period of time can affect the appearance of our body.
By moving fat stores to the facial area, for example (manifests itself as a rounding of the face), enlargement of the neck area (the so-called buffalo neck) or can cause abdominal obesity.
In addition, cortisol in excessive amounts can result in acne, stretch marks and even insulin resistance.
Cortisol is also not desirable for people who are working to build muscle tissue in the body, and to lose weight.
This is due to its effect on the development of body fat, and also through its catabolic activity, which it is characterized by.
In addition to the symptoms of hypercortisolemia outlined above, they also include hypertension, immune disorders or osteoporosis.
How to lower cortisol and protect the body from its harmful effects?
Lowering cortisol in times of increased stress naturally can be very difficult.
Of course, an important element and basically the first step is to eliminate the stress factor.
If the level of cortisol rises in proportion to the level of stress, then with its elimination it should fall to a level that is appropriate for the body and diurnal rhythm.
Of course, in many cases, for the sake of everyday life situations, the elimination of stress may be impossible or very difficult.
In such a situation, additional support in the form of dietary supplements may be helpful.
Supplements to lower cortisol
To lower cortisol levels, it is not at all necessary to reach for very advanced dietary supplements.
Even increasing the amount of vitamin C in your daily diet can have an effect on lowering cortisol.
What other substances will effectively help reduce its levels?
- Ashwagandha – an extract from this plant, which has been proven by studies, along with each dose taken (even if the doses are small) helps reduce cortisol.
What’s more, this supplement can increase stress tolerance. - Phosphatidylserine – a phospholipid that is a building block of the cell membrane.
In addition to its properties that help lower cortisol levels, it can also help increase the amount of testosterone in the body. - Omega 3 fatty acids – EPA and DHA show a number of benefits in connection with their supplementation, including.
They support the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system, and can also help the body create protection against cancer and other diseases.
Omega 3 fatty acids also show a cortisol-reducing effect, so it is also worth supplementing your daily diet with them.
Any deviation from the norm, can be harmful to the body, so both excess and deficiency of cortisol can contribute to negative effects affecting appearance, health and well-being.
It is worthwhile to monitor the body’s processes, and when they are abnormal, to react to them immediately.