15/04/2018
Cortisol (commonly know as the stress hormone) released by the adrenal gland, happens to be one of the most underrated reasons for gaining fat/ not being able to lose the same. Reasons are as follows-
1) Cortisol presence has an inverse effect on the presence of DHEA, a hormone which required to make other hormones, namely- testosterone, thyroid & growth hormone. The absence of these set you up for massive weight gain.
2) Cortisol also sets up the body to release sugar by breaking down muscle tissues, which if not followed up by exercise, gets stored as fat (a process called gluconeogenesis).
3) Cortisol causes Insulin resistance which again promote fat storage.
It is worth mentioning here that cortisol is not only spiked up by emotional stress but also physical stress (caused by injuries, infections, exposure to toxicity & lack of sleep).