Unlocking the Secrets of Cortisol: How Stress Becomes an Invisible Obstacle on Your Weight Loss Journey

Cortisol: The Close Relative of the Obesity Hormone

Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, is primarily responsible for preparing the body to cope with emergencies. In the hunter-gatherer era, when our ancestors were chased by wild animals, cortisol was often used to prepare the body for fighting or rapid escape.

The body can tolerate temporary increases in cortisol or blood sugar, but prolonged elevation will lead to a host of health problems. In real life, being late for work, traffic jams, work frustrations, arguments with partners, disobedient children, and other worries constantly increase our cortisol levels.

Cortisol and insulin have similar effects, both contributing to weight gain. This is because as psychological stress increases, cortisol levels rise, leading to increased blood sugar and insulin levels. We know that insulin is an obesity hormone; persistently high insulin levels promote weight gain and obesity, especially in the waist and abdomen, where fat accumulates. This is a major reason why stress directly leads to obesity.

Furthermore, cortisol affects the body's water retention capacity, causing edema. This is because cortisol affects the secretion of another hormone—antidiuretic hormone (ADH). ADH sends signals to the kidneys to determine how much water to store. These hormones lead to fat storage and fluid retention, so stressed individuals are more prone to edema.

Cortisol also disrupts the gut environment, increasing the likelihood of leaky gut syndrome.

The body's autonomic nervous system is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Generally, the parasympathetic nervous system dominates the body, controlling and maintaining all aspects of our normal life, such as metabolism, digestion, menstruation, and reproduction; the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for responding to emergencies. A large release of cortisol causes the body to switch to a sympathetic nervous system-dominated state, and the functions controlled by the parasympathetic nervous system are affected or halted. This is why some women experience menstrual irregularities when under stress.

In terms of weight loss, cortisol's impact on women far exceeds that on men. Besides making the waist and hips, areas of concern for women, even fatter, it also interferes with women's normal physiological functions and disrupts hormonal balance, making weight loss more difficult.

Although stress contains no calories or sugars, it can still trigger obesity.