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Cool your jets to bust flab

You can’t hear about belly fat these days without a reference to cortisol, that steroid hormone released in response to stress that signals cells to store fat.

Not only is extra packing on the waist aesthetically a no-no given current fashion dictates, but it’s also linked to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. Yikes.

Still, the stress hormone does have a function. Cortisol actually helps the body deal with external pressure by regulating blood pressure, immune function, carbohydrate metabolism and inflammation.

But it’s all about achieving a balance. Too little cortisol is linked to fatigue, depression and Addison’s disease too much, on the other hand, is connected to Cushing’s disease, high blood pressure, obesity, muscle weakness and a host of other problems.

What can we do to keep cortisol levels in some sort of harmony?

What the experts say

In a chronic stress situation, we lose the ability to regulate our cortisol metabolism. Abdominal fat cells have more cortisol receptors than others. Cortisol levels are typically high in the morning and low in the evening. Aside from relaxing, getting enough sleep and eating well, taking supplements can reduce cortisol. Theanine, an amino acid in green tea, has a relaxing effect. Malaysian ginseng (Eurycoma longifolia) lowers cortisol and raises testosterone, a counterbalance to cortisol. We’ve studied cordyceps, a Chinese mushroom, and rhodiola, a Tibetan root.”

SHAWN TALBOTT, author, The Cortisol Connection, Utah

Both high and low levels of cortisol are linked to depression. We looked at depression, anxiety and aggression. When you first experience these behaviours, your levels are high because it’s very stressful, but you can’t maintain high levels over a prolonged period of time. Cortisol is a neurotoxin, so your body shuts down its production. I think we have to be cautious about cortisol as a potential treatment for depression the body shuts down production for a reason.”

PAULA RUTTLE, PhD candidate, department of psychology, Concordia U, Montreal

An acute stress response could actually help your memory function. Everyone remembers what they were doing during the September 11 attacks. Chronic stress does not cause disease, but can be seen as an accelerator. There is no magical recipe to reduce stress. Many people think relaxation is the cure, but it is not. You have to manage the stress – for example identifying what in the situation is stressful. If it’s because of unpredictability, how can you make the situation less unpredictable? Establish a plan B. Even though you might not use it, it will tell your brain that there is an exit, and this will decrease your stress response.”

MARIE-FRANCE MARIN, Ph.D. candidate, Université de Montréal, Fernand-Seguin Research Centre

“To raise cortisol levels in the brain, we gave participants hydrocortisone before MRI scans to assess the brain’s responses. Cortisol suppressed responses both to negative and positive stimuli. Cortisol seems to restore normal brain function in the aftermath of stress exposure. Cortisol-induced suppression of emotional response could be a helpful tool in treating or even preventing post-traumatic stress disorder.”

MARLOES HENCKENS, PhD candidate, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Ashwagandha enhances energy levels and stress resistance. It increases red and white blood cell and platelet counts. That helps you stay calm. I prescribe L-theanine to be taken with food. It helps keep blood pressure within normal limits and increases the activity of alpha brainwaves.”

ZORANA ROSE, naturopath, Toronto

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