Cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone, plays a crucial role in the body’s stress response. But when levels stay high for too long, it can interfere with other hormones and lead to various health issues, including stubborn weight gain.
Indian Nutritionist Nupuur Patil shared insights on April 11 into how high cortisol levels affected her own weight loss journey. “Cortisol is a stress hormone that messes up other hormones in the body including sleep hormone melatonin, thyroid, hunger and fullness hormones gherlin and leptin, glucose and insulin, and other hormones like prolactin which are important and decide how you lose or store fat,” she wrote in a social media post.
Revealing a personal struggle, Nupuur added, “High cortisol was the reason I wasn’t losing weight. I tried every diet and exercise routine. Nothing worked and I was losing hope.”
To tackle this, she focused on managing cortisol, which she said made a significant difference in her results. She outlined four key steps that helped reduce her cortisol levels:
1. Avoiding caffeine
2. Maintaining a good bedtime routine
3. Cold exposure like ice baths, cold showers, or dipping the face in ice water
4. Supplements such as fish oil (omega), and magnesium—natural cortisol blockers
“But wait there’s more. Everyone’s cortisol journey is different because everyone’s gut bacteria is different. So, the above tips won’t always work,” she noted, stressing the need for a personalised approach based on individual health and gut composition.
Addressing what leads to elevated cortisol and chronic stress, Dr Mohit Sharma, senior consultant of Internal Medicine at Amrita Hospital in India’s Faridabad, explained in a 2024 interview with HT Lifestyle: “Chronic stress, a primary driver, leads to sustained high levels of cortisol, which in turn promotes the storage of visceral fat. Additionally, poor dietary choices high in refined sugars, processed foods, and unhealthy fats contribute to fat deposition, exacerbating cortisol belly. Sedentary lifestyles and inadequate exercise further compound the issue, promoting weight gain and reducing muscle mass. Sleep deprivation disrupts hormonal balance, including cortisol regulation, leading to increased appetite and fat storage.”
Courtesy: Hindustan Times
Bd-pratidin English/FNC
